PARIS/BERLIN: France and Germany will discuss deepening cooperation on nuclear deterrence, missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and space at a joint ministerial retreat, the Elysee said, seeking to show that the EU’s two largest defense powers can still work together despite differences over major armament programs.
The meetings come weeks after industrial rivalries forced Paris and Berlin to scrap the landmark Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet program at a time the US is pressuring Europe to rearm itself.
Delays to a Franco-German next-generation tank project, setbacks to the multinational Eurodrone program meant to build a drone competitor to the US Reaper and growing competition within Europe in the space sector have all underscored Europe’s challenges scaling up its defense ambitions.
Two joint declarations are expected following the Franco-German Defense and Security Council (CFADS) and a broader joint ministerial meeting near Cologne on Thursday and Friday.
A French official acknowledged that the discussions were “not a path where everything is necessarily aligned,” but said Franco-German defense industry cooperation was bigger than the failed FCAS project.
