BERLIN — Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron opened two days of Franco-German talks Thursday with a pledge to strengthen Europe’s military, industrial and technological power, seeking to display that the continent’s key relationship can still deliver despite recent setbacks.
The German chancellor and French president will lead defense talks at Nörvenich air base Friday before joining their ministers near Cologne. The gathering will be Macron’s final Franco-German ministerial council before he leaves office next year — and arrives with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally polling strongly ahead of the 2027 French election.
“We want to give new momentum to forward deterrence, early warning, deep strike and common capabilities,” Macron told reporters ahead of a working dinner with Merz, portraying the cooperation as part of Europe’s “strategic awakening.”
Merz said the talks would cover economic, energy, security and defense policy. Macron added Ukraine, the Middle East, space, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, trade and the protection of European industry to the extensive agenda.
Both governments are presenting the meeting as an effort to build on agreements reached at last year’s meeting in Toulon, France, rather than launch an entirely new program. Two joint declarations covering defense and the broader bilateral relationship are expected Friday.
The warmer personal relationship between Merz and Macron has helped revive what officials describe as the “Franco-German reflex” after years of strained ties under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Merz has spoken of a “deep personal bond” with the French president, while officials in Paris and Berlin say the atmosphere between the two leaders has improved markedly.
The approaching French presidential election is adding urgency in Berlin, particularly over the EU’s next seven-year budget. German Europe Minister Gunther Krichbaum said on public radio Thursday that governments had to “seize the day” and finish major European projects quickly.
“At the very top of the list, of course, is the multiannual financial framework,” Krichbaum said, referring to the budget. Germany wants the EU budget to place greater emphasis on technology and innovation, “but above all, security and defense,” he added.
The need to secure the EU budget moved more sharply into focus last week after a Paris appeals court upheld Le Pen’s conviction for misusing EU funds but shortened her ban from elected office, clearing a path for her to run for president next year.
The possibility of the far-right National Rally taking power has been cited by many as a motivation to sew up the EU budget swiftly, lest Le Pen’s party derails the process if it takes office in 2027.
Paris and Berlin, therefore, share the goal of reaching an EU budget agreement by the end of 2026. But substantial differences remain. France wants new EU revenue to finance strategic industries while protecting agricultural spending. Germany, meanwhile, considers the Commission’s proposal too large and unbalanced, and wants a slimmer budget that gives greater weight to competitiveness, security and defense.
And despite the friendlier chemistry between the leaders, Paris and Berlin have clashed over a series of flagship defense projects. They have also been divided over trade — above all the Mercosur agreement, which Berlin championed and Paris fought to block.
Defense will provide an early test of whether the warm rhetoric produces results.
The two governments want to deepen cooperation on deterrence, long-range precision weapons and an early-warning network that combines satellites with ground-based radars.
The push follows the collapse of the common fighter aircraft at the heart of the Future Combat Air System program. Both governments nevertheless want to preserve parts of the wider network intended to connect aircraft, drones and other military platforms.
The governments are also preparing agreements on the EU-backed IRIS² satellite constellation, strategic satellite frequencies and artificial intelligence safety. Ministers will discuss quantum research, fusion energy, a hydrogen corridor and closer cross-border and youth cooperation.
Merz welcomed Macron by invoking the origins of the Elysée Treaty, recalling that Charles de Gaulle proposed a Franco-German friendship agreement after being received by Germany’s first Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, at Schloss Augustusburg 65 years ago — the same place the current French and German leaders will convene Friday.