The media learned about France's debt of €8 billion to enterprises for defense orders

France has placed defense orders worth €8 billion as part of its ongoing rearmament strategy in European countries, but has not paid them. The Ministry of the Armed Forces of the country will need to pay off the companies by the end of the year. This was reported on June 5 by the French TV channel BFMTV.

"The Ministry of the Armed Forces will have to settle the issue of €8 billion worth of military equipment already ordered but not yet paid for by the end of the year. This is a symbol of France, which wants to rearm, but does not have the means to do so," the publication says.

The publication noted that defense enterprises "have been sounding the alarm more and more recently, as the military economy is operating on credit, orders are slow to arrive, and the lack of transparency is worrying." Airbus and Thales, in particular, expressed concern about unpaid bills.

According to the newspaper, the law on military planning provides for €413 billion until 2030, but this budget is almost exhausted, as €99 billion will be spent on paying off previous obligations. Ultimately, there will be little money left for new orders, the TV channel added.

On February 3, French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to increase his country's defense budget. He noted that this is necessary to ensure border security. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on May 3 that France was "on a terribly risky path" because only debt servicing, that is, annual interest, could reach €100 billion.