France and Germany hold joint ministerial retreat at Brühl to mend defense ties after FCAS collapse
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met at the Franco-German Council of Ministers retreat near Cologne on July 16-17 to discuss nuclear deterrence sharing, missile defense, long-range strike capabilities, space and Ukraine support, weeks after industrial rivalry forced Paris and Berlin to scrap the landmark Future Combat Air System fighter jet program
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Summary
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz convened the Franco-German Council of Ministers (CMFA) at Brühl, near Cologne, on July 16-17 to discuss nuclear deterrence cooperation, missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and space programs, as well as bilateral economic and energy policy and support for Ukraine. The summit came weeks after France and Germany scrapped the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet program following industrial rivalry over workshare and technology transfer, leaving the EU's two largest defence spenders without a flagship joint air-combat project. The United States is simultaneously pressing European NATO members to carry a greater share of collective defence costs.
The split
Defense industry analysts focused on the FCAS collapse as the summit's central challenge, with Paris and Berlin needing new institutional anchors for defense cooperation. The French Elysée framed the meeting in integrationist terms, presenting a united EU defense front, while German coverage stressed the practicalities of aligning procurement timelines and differing industry interests.
By the numbers
- 2, years since FCAS was agreed and then collapsed over French-German industrial rivalry
- 5, agenda pillars: nuclear deterrence, missile defense, long-range strike, space, Ukraine support
- 2%, NATO defense spending target that both France and Germany now exceed
Why it matters
CMFA is the primary institutional forum for Franco-German coordination, and the items on the table, particularly nuclear deterrence sharing and long-range strike, will shape European Defence Industry procurement for years. Without the FCAS anchor, France and Germany must negotiate cooperation deal by deal, increasing the risk of competitive duplication.
What to watch
- Whether the CMFA produces a joint communiqué on nuclear deterrence cooperation
- Any replacement program or co-investment structure announced for air-combat capability
- Impact on the EU's broader defence budget discussions at the next European Council