Germany news: Macron and Merz lead bilateral cabinet talks

Germany news: Macron and Merz lead bilateral cabinet talks July 17, 2026What you need to know - French and German ministers are meeting for talks focused on security, defense and economic policy - The two countries' leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, want to coordinate more closely on Ukraine, artificial intelligence, industry and energy - A verdict is due in the case of a woman accused of supporting Germany’s far-right NSU terrorist group - Prosecutors want Susann E. jailed for four years for helping convicted group member Beate Zschäpe while she was living underground Here is a roundup of the latest news headlines from Germany on July 17: Prosecutors seek four years for alleged NSU supporter Federal prosecutors have called for a four-year prison sentence for an alleged supporter of Germany's far-right National Socialist Underground terrorist group. Prosecutors asked the Higher Regional Court in Dresden on Friday to convict the 45-year-old defendant, Susann E., of supporting a terrorist organization and aiding and abetting aggravated extortion, a court spokesperson said. According to the prosecution, E. repeatedly allowed convicted NSU member Beate Zschäpe to use her identity while Zschäpe was living underground in Zwickau, in the eastern state of Saxony. She allegedly gave Zschäpe her health insurance card for medical appointments and helped rent a motorhome used by the NSU during its final robbery. The defendant is married to André E., who was convicted of supporting the NSU during the main trial in Munich. The court is expected to announce its verdict on Friday morning. The NSU committed 10 murders, two bomb attacks and more than a dozen robberies between 1998 and 2011. Members Uwe Böhnhardt and Uwe Mundlos killed themselves in November 2011 as police closed in on them following a bank robbery in Eisenach. Zschäpe subsequently sent out letters claiming responsibility for the group's crimes, exposing the existence of the NSU. A Munich court sentenced her to life imprisonment in 2018 and found that her guilt was of particular severity, making an early release less likely. Germany and France seek fresh momentum at ministerial talks France and Germany are preparing to deepen cooperation on European security, defence and economic policy as ministers from both countries meet in western Germany. French President Emmanuel Macron said late Thursday that Paris and Berlin wanted to accelerate Europe's strategic renewal and work more closely together on key international issues. "I believe I can say that recent months have also brought a genuine Franco-German rapprochement on the European agenda," Macron ahead of the government gathering in the Rhineland. The talks also come after tensions over joint defense projects, especially the troubled Future Combat Air System fighter jet program. The project was once seen as a flagship example of European defense cooperation, but became bogged down in disputes between French and German industry over control, technology and the division of work. Merz welcomed Macron to Bensberg Palace near the western city of Cologne on Thursday evening for talks ahead of Friday's meetings. The two leaders first held discussions with a wider group before meeting privately over dinner. Friday's program begins with a meeting of the Franco-German Defence and Security Council at the Nörvenich Air Base. The wider cabinet talks take place later in at Schloss Augustusburg, a palace in the town of Brühl, just south of Cologne. Welcome to our coverage Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn on the banks of the Rhine River, which is looking decidedly thirsty after a summer of much sunshine and very little rain. Not far away, in the small town of Brühl, France and Germany are trying to put fresh energy into their relationship. Individual government ministers are holding focused talks with their counterparts ahead of a wide meeting of the two countries' cabinets. Defense and security talks are also taking place at the nearby Nörvenich Air Base. For this and more of the stories that Germany is talking about, stick with us here.