Germany Merz and Macron want to resolve arms dispute by the end of August
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron want to resolve the dispute over the joint development of the FCAS air combat system by the end of August. At their meeting in Berlin, they instructed their defense ministers to "evaluate a realistic perspective on further cooperation in the FCAS consortium and submit proposals for the settlement of existing conflicts" by then, as German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius announced after more than three hours of consultations at a dinner in the Villa Borsig on Lake Tegel.
24.07.2025, 01:41
SDA
The German expectation is that the French company Dassault "adheres to the existing agreements". According to the agreement, Dassault, Airbus Deutschland and the Spanish company Indra will each have a one-third share in the project. According to reports, however, Dassault is now aiming for 80 percent, which is out of the question for Germany.
On August 28 and 29, the two governments will hold a joint cabinet meeting in Toulon in the south of France. The dispute should be resolved by then. The FCAS air combat system is to be operational from 2040 and replace the Eurofighter fighter jet. It will fly in conjunction with unarmed and armed drones and is therefore more than just a combat aircraft. The total cost of FCAS is estimated to be in the three-digit billion range.
Merz and Macron show instruments in customs dispute
In the customs dispute with the USA, Merz and Macron showed their determination to respond to possible US tariffs with countermeasures. "The two sides agree that they should reserve the right to use further trade policy instruments if the negotiations do not lead to success," said Kornelius. They are also prepared to "develop new measures".
The USA wants to impose tariffs of 30 percent on EU goods on August 1. Negotiations are currently underway with the EU to prevent this with a trade deal. Prior to the meeting, Merz had indicated that a quick agreement could be reached. Among other things, they would discuss the "current trade policy", "on which we are hearing in these minutes that there could possibly be decisions", he said. There was no more talk of this after the meeting.
Call for a ceasefire in the Gaza war
Merz and Macron expressed their concern about the situation in the Gaza Strip and appealed to the Israeli government to "immediately initiate a ceasefire and take humanitarian measures in the immediate vicinity", as Kornelius said. France recently signed the appeal of 28 states to end the Gaza war, which Germany has not joined.
Talks planned with Selensky on fighting corruption
In the "very trusting" talks, there was also a "long and intensive debate" on the situation in Ukraine, which was not only about military support, but also about the domestic political situation, said Kornelius. Parliamentary resolutions to restrict the fight against corruption had led to protests in several major cities in Ukraine. Macron and Merz wanted to discuss this with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi - also with a view to Ukraine's EU ambitions.
First visit to Germany since the change of government
It was Macron's first visit to Germany since the change of government in Germany on May 6. The day after his election as Chancellor, CDU politician Merz set off for Paris to join Macron in heralding a "new start" in Franco-German relations, which had cooled considerably under his predecessor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The two now want to continue working on this and deepen their cooperation at all levels.
"We stand on the foundation of a close Franco-German friendship that has grown over decades. And we both see this as a great obligation to continue working on this in the coming years," said the Chancellor before the meeting.
Tomato salad, seafood and saddle of veal
The meeting took place in a villa on Lake Tegel, which once belonged to the Borsig industrialist family and is now the guest house of the Federal Foreign Office. Merz served his guest tomato salad, Helgoland seafood with cauliflower and bean seeds and saddle of veal with summer vegetables, chanterelles and gnocchi. This also set him apart from his predecessor Scholz in culinary terms. In October 2023, he had tried to impress Macron with a fish sandwich during a visit to his hometown of Hamburg - to no avail.
