Franco-German defence cooperation under strain as Macron, Merz meet
The two governments will launch new talks on nuclear deterrence, missile defense and space as they seek to repair ties after the FCAS collapse.
- On Thursday and Friday, France and Germany met near Cologne to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence, missile defense, and space, seeking to demonstrate both nations can cooperate despite differences over major armament programs including the scrapped Future Combat Air System .
- Industrial rivalries recently forced Paris and Berlin to scrap the landmark FCAS project; delays to tank and Eurodrone programs complicate European defense ambitions, though officials confirmed certain FCAS elements will continue development.
- Unveiled earlier this year, Macron's 'Forward deterrence' proposal allows European allies to participate in French nuclear exercises and host assets, with Berlin expected to agree German troops will join a French nuclear exercise this autumn.
- France and Germany reaffirmed support for the European Union's IRIS secure satellite constellation despite Berlin pursuing a separate military satellite project, reflecting efforts to secure sovereign communications infrastructure and reduce dependence on foreign providers.
- Underlying these discussions are differing views on European dependence on foreign weapons technology. A French official acknowledged the process is 'not a path where everything is necessarily aligned,' as the continent questions President Donald Trump's reliability as a security partner.
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70 Articles
Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron held a summit yesterday to advance defense agreements, after the fiasco that led to the cancellation of the FCAS joint hunting project because of the disagreements between the German and French industries. Europe’s two most powerful countries live threatened by the push of the extreme right, which, according to polls, would govern both countries if elections were held today. Alternative for Germany (AfD) hopes …
Merz and Macron have made great efforts to stage the umpteenth relaunch of the Franco-German axis. Their most recent and sounding has been the failure of the FCAS project, which has shown insurmountable incompatibilities in terms of defence. To counter the fiasco, the German-French Security and Defence Council has taken place in the peculiar scenario of a hangar of the Nörvenich Miliar airfield and both heads of government have spoken of a “new …
The leaders of France and Germany met this Friday to talk about the future of defence cooperation, after the collapse of a joint project building war planes, considered one of the main investments of the countries involved and a kind of launch of the European strategy in the sector. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project was officially abandoned last month due to industrial differences, leadership disputes and incompatible military requirem…
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