The leaders of Germany and France have agreed to cancel a landmark project for the development and production of a next-generation fighter jet, succumbing to industrial competition in what was Europe’s most ambitious defense program.
elchi reports that German officials stated that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the problematic project during the EU-Western Balkans summit held in Montenegro last week and concluded that there was no hope of resolving the months-long deadlock between defense companies.
Accordingly, officials reported that Merz advised Macron not to continue the joint fighter jet project any further.
A statement from Macron’s office says that the two leaders discussed the project in detail and expressed their regret that the main industrial partners, primarily the European aerospace group Airbus, representing Germany and Spain, and France’s Dassault Aviation, could not reach an agreement. The decision to cancel one of the main pillars of Europe’s largest defense project comes at a time when Western military officials are warning of an increasing threat from Russia and the US is increasing pressure on Europe to rearm. Macron launched the project in 2017 together with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and had defended it for months. Macron’s office stated that France continues to see Franco-German defense cooperation as a necessity for both countries and their European partners. However, the failure to reach an agreement on the 100 billion euro project, which also included Spain, highlights the difficulties Europe faces in restoring its military potential after decades of underinvestment. Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the IISS think tank, commented on the situation, saying: “This is not an ideal message to send to either Washington or Moscow.”
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