The Senate widely adopted on Thursday at first reading the military programming bill (LPM), which provides for an overall envelope of 413 billion euros over seven years (2024 to 2030), by accelerating the pace of expenditure in the first years.
The vote was acquired by 314 votes “for” and 17 “against”. Only the majority communist CRCE group voted against and environmentalists mostly abstained.
Deputies and senators will try next Thursday to agree on a compromise version in a joint committee, the executive hoping for final adoption before July 14.
Much of the debate focused on a battle of numbers between the government and the right-wing senatorial majority.
Widely adopted at first reading by the deputies, the LPM “act of the return of tougher competition between the great powers, against a backdrop of nuclear proliferation”, according to the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
The credits must be used to modernize nuclear deterrence, improve the treatment of troops and their families, and improve the conditions of reservists, to double the workforce (80,000 volunteers targeted for 2030).
The LPM, which will be updated in 2027 by a vote of Parliament, also intends to “modernize” the military apparatus: 10 billion for innovation, 6 billion for “space”, 4 billion for “cyber”, 5 billion for drones…
Thirty billion must cover inflation.
The Senate has adopted a budgetary trajectory at a more regular rate of progress, accelerating the effort from 2024, but all remaining within the overall envelope of 413 billion euros, according to the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Christian Cambon (LR).
He also returned to the postponement of delivery after 2030, planned by the government, of certain equipment: armored vehicles from the Scorpion program, offshore patrol boats, A400M transport aircraft.
The minister announces a bill increased to “at least 416.2 billion if not 420 billion” because of these changes.
Another big point of contention: the Senate has restored the objective of bringing the share of the budget of the Armies to 2% of GDP from 2025, while the government prefers “out of honesty” to provide a range “between 2025 and 2027”.
The senators propose the creation of a “sovereignty savings account”, exempt from tax and social security contributions, intended for the financing of defense companies.
Against the advice of the government, the Senate has planned that the next LPM be preceded by a “White Paper on Defense and National Security”. Similarly, he wants to set up, within the parliamentary intelligence delegation, a commission to verify arms exports.
The Senate also approved several government amendments which were not debated, in particular so that anti-drone equipment could fall within the definition of war equipment.
29/06/2023 18:11:31 – Paris (AFP) – © 2023 AFP