France’s far-left party France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) has formally included withdrawing from NATO and nationalizing major defence companies in its official presidential election programme, released on Friday, as its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon emerges as a potential contender in next year’s presidential race.
The party’s 222-page programme calls for France to immediately withdraw from NATO’s integrated military command and subsequently leave the alliance altogether. It also rejects the United States’ demand that NATO members spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product on defence.
“Immediately withdraw from NATO’s integrated command and then, in stages, from the organization itself. Reject the tribute demanded by the United States of 5% of GDP devoted to defence spending,” the programme states.
However, the document makes clear that a France led by Mélenchon would continue to provide assistance to other European Union member states under the bloc’s mutual assistance obligations, even if the country left NATO.
Recent opinion polls suggest that Mélenchon could secure second place in next year’s presidential election, potentially advancing to the runoff against far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Her National Rally party has also pledged to withdraw France from NATO’s integrated military command.
Unlike Le Pen’s party, France Unbowed does not explicitly propose ending military assistance to Ukraine. Instead, it advocates a diplomatic solution to the war, arguing that any peace agreement should include collective security guarantees involving the parties to the conflict and the wider European continent.
The party is also calling for stricter regulation of weapons, including lethal autonomous weapons systems and nuclear arms.
Its programme further opposes what it describes as a space arms race, proposing the closure of NATO’s space centre in Toulouse. At the same time, it argues that France must strengthen its independent space capabilities and even proposes developing a French space shuttle.
France Unbowed has previously supported the acquisition of Dassault Aviation’s Vortex, a reusable European orbital spaceplane project.
On defence policy, the party also wants France to invest more heavily in critical military capabilities, particularly communications, intelligence and logistics equipment, much of which is currently provided by the United States through NATO structures.
“These capabilities must be produced as a matter of priority,” the programme states.
Another major proposal is the nationalization of some of France’s leading defence companies, including ArianeGroup, a major European aerospace and defence manufacturer.
A more detailed defence policy programme is expected to be published at a later date, a France Unbowed lawmaker told POLITICO.
