European rearmament and ambition on Macron's last July 14
The French president has witnessed the largest military parade of his mandate accompanied by some thirty European leaders
BarcelonaThis Tuesday, July 14, was the last Bastille Day for President Emmanuel Macron, and the one that best synthesizes his military program. The Élysée wanted to prepare a "massive" army parade with a dual objective: to show that French troops are "ready for combat" and that Europe is preparing for a "strategic awakening". The traditional deployment of the armed forces along the Champs-Élysées took place after this Monday a new summit of the Coalition of Volunteers for Ukraine was held, formed by the 37 countries willing to send soldiers there once a ceasefire with Russia is signed.
Thus, this year's parade had a clear European dimension. Among the 6,800 soldiers who paraded, about 500 were from countries of the Volunteer Coalition, followed by 25 Ukrainian soldiers. They did so under the gaze of 24 European heads of state or government, including Pedro Sánchez, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Britain's Keir Starmer, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Volodymyr Zelensky was also present, who was applauded upon arrival, and whom Macron praised: his presence is "a symbol of fraternity, courage, and shared destiny," declared the French president.
On the other hand, the presence of a renewed air and ground fleet has sent a clear message: France is rearming. This Tuesday, 98 planes, 31 helicopters, and 315 vehicles paraded, constituting the largest military deployment in recent history in France on July 14th, and which have upheld Macron's commitment to strengthening the army. Throughout his ten-year term, the budget dedicated to defense in the neighboring country has doubled. In fact, the military programming law updated by the National Assembly this July 1 provides for 436 billion euros for the period 2024-2030, 36 billion more than the version of the text approved in 2023.
In this way, the French president wants to ensure the continuity of what he considers his great legacy. Macron has been committed for years to the military emancipation of the United States, an objective that was reinforced with Donald Trump's return to the White House. The Volunteers' Coalition aims to be precisely the first step towards an integrated European military force, as Macron made clear this Monday. "Europe is becoming a power," he asserted, and he also did not fail to show himself willing to fight: "The message we send to the world is the following: yes, peace is our objective; yes, we value freedom and the rule of law. And yes, we are willing to fight to defend them always, even if it means shedding blood." In this regard, Monday's meeting also served for ten countries, including Ukraine and Spain, to announce a coalition to develop a European air defense system, shortly after Donald Trump raised the possibility that Ukraine could manufacture the American Patriot missile defense system.
A particular July 14 for Spain
This year's has been the first July 14th that Pedro Sánchez has witnessed the French military parade as president of the government, and in a particular context. The comments the socialist has received the most have been related to the Football World Cup, a few hours before Spain and France faced each other in the semi-final, and a few days after Mariano Rajoy published an article in which he stated that the French team has a squad "of the highest level", but "without Frenchmen". In fact, the first thing Sánchez did upon seeing the French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, was to apologize and assure him that he was "very ashamed" of his predecessor's words. Several French ministers have asked in recent days for Rajoy to rectify, so far without success.
