Germany and France to Set Up Joint Defence and Security Council

dpa
(TNS)

Paris (dpa) — France and Germany plan to increase cooperation on defence and armament, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday as he received new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for an inaugural visit in Paris.

Macron said the two sides aim to “accelerate” joint projects in those areas, “develop new capabilities and establish a Franco-German defence and security council” in addition to working on fighter aircraft and long-range missiles.

The new security council would be designed to provide operational responses to common strategic challenges, he explained.

Macron said they also planned to “launch a Franco-German programme for innovation in the defence sector to enable ground-breaking innovations that are necessary for the war of tomorrow.”

Investment in defence must be increased, the French president stressed, adding that a plan proposed by the European Commission to mobilize private and public funds for the industrial and technological basis for European defence must be implemented together.