France and Germany will seek to move on from the collapse of a tortured joint fighter jet project and bolster other joint defence plans – including nuclear deterrence – at a joint government meeting on Friday.
After one-on-one discussions on Thursday evening at Bensberg Castle in the town of Bergisch Gladbach, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will chair Friday’s annual meeting, held this time near Cologne.
Speaking to the press before their meeting, the two men struck a warm note, with Macron thanking “my friend the chancellor” for coming to Bastille Day celebrations in Paris earlier this week.
“Whether it concerns investments, innovation, or trade protection... in recent months we have seen a genuine Franco-German convergence,” Macron said.
He added that Friday’s meetings were aimed at giving a “new dynamic” to defence cooperation as part of creating a “powerful Europe which unites our strengths”.
