Defense Minister Florence Parly announced on Twitter this budget thaw. In July, the suppression of credits had caused the resignation of General De Villiers.
This is a notable success for Florence Parly. The Ministry of Defense has secured the release of 700 million euros in Defense Budget 2017 appropriations that had been frozen and could not be spent. In a tweet published Wednesday, the minister writes: "Thaw 700 million euros: I was engaged, I got it.The army budget confirms its rise in power.
This $ 700 million, which was part of the 2017 budget, was frozen in July and was subject to arbitration. It was therefore made in favor of the Ministry of Defense.
On December 13, Florence Parly had confided her optimism on the release of funds: "I think I can say that the hypothesis of a favorable arbitration remains open and you can count on my determination to continue to convince of the need to obtain a thaw of credits up to 700 million euros ".
A budget of 34.2 billion in 2018
The defense budget is projected at 34.2 billion euros for 2018, up 1.8 billion euros compared to 2017, what the minister had described as "historic rise, never seen for 20 years" .
The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces welcomed this thaw. "The tenacity of the minister has paid off: the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee is delighted with this good news and the armies will finally be able to have the means to fulfill their mission," the President said in a statement. of the committee, Christian Cambon (LR).
The budget allocated to the Ministry of Defense is a hot issue for the executive. In July, the army chief of staff Pierre de Villiers had resigned with a bang to protest against the cancellation of 50 million euros of credits.
The case of "leftovers to pay"
But as Le Monde reminds us, this unblocking does not allay tensions between the government and the army. At issue: the delicate question of "outstanding debts", budgetary commitments made by the State, which are not paid and will be recorded in future budgets. The government wants to cap the level reached in late 2017, or 107 billion euros.
This objective is included in the public finance programming bill for the years 2018 to 2022. But of this amount, 50 billion is for the Defense.
"The government amendment poses a serious risk of challenging our strategic ambitions as they were developed consensually in the recent strategic review," warned the chairman of the defense commission of the National Assembly, Jean-Jacques Bridey.
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