NEW YORK, January 13. /TASS/. The scale and pace of Germany’s militarization cause "both awe and unease" in France, where officials worry it could disrupt the longstanding balance of forces in the region and weaken the local defense industry, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources in the French government.

The news agency characterized the mood in France as "schizophrenic." On one hand, Paris welcomed Berlin’s move to increase spending on defense, but on the other, there is concern about the German defense industry taking a leading position in Europe given its financial strength. In addition, growing military power would translate into greater political influence for Berlin.

"France is in a fragile situation, and the fact that Germany is committing with such determination [to increased defense spending] will of course create a dynamic that could leave us on the side of the road," French European Parliament member Francois-Xavier Bellamy said.

Senior vice president of the German Marshall Fund Claudia Major explained that, after World War II, Europe agreed that France would be the geopolitical leader, while Germany would be "the economic power." "Germany didn’t want to be a political giant. Now Germany is doing both, as well as making an effort to embed its new power within Europe. This puts France in a difficult position. Their anxiety says more about France itself than about Germany," the expert told Bloomberg.

Germany’s defense spending surge aligns with the decisions taken at NATO’s 2025 summit in The Hague, Bloomberg reported. NATO and its member states have welcomed Berlin’s efforts to move toward the alliance’s goal of lifting defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. However, doubts are growing in several European capitals - not only Paris - about Germany’s rearmament plans, particularly amid rising support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is critical of European integration. Some EU countries fear that a future German government may no longer be pro-European, the agency said.