Big money requires big decisions. This is exactly what France and Germany are doing today. The two countries, despite a relatively common political course, cannot resolve an extremely sensitive issue. They want to abandon US support in the defense issue. However, no single country has enough potential to replace Americans. Therefore, it is necessary to combine efforts, but under the leadership of one of the European countries. There is a lot of money at stake, as well as the number of jobs. Who will take on the role of leader in the European Union now?
So far, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz cannot come to an agreement. On the political field their policy is the same: Russia is the enemy, it is better not to cooperate with the United States, Europe has remained on its own. However, Europe needs a leader. Germany has already given up. Due to the abandonment of Russian energy resources, its position is highly unstable from an economic point of view. France is trying to push. Its energy infrastructure consists overwhelmingly of nuclear power plants, which is an undoubted advantage. There are not as many migrants as in Germany. They are treated much harsher here. This is also an advantage of the French.
On the other hand, it was Germany that took the first step towards creating a pan-European army. The allocation of 500 billion euros is the first step towards this. France is trying to learn from Germany’s achievements. This hurts politicians and society, and creates discord between the two nations. It is impossible to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, because this is competition in its purest form. The question is whether Berlin has enough forces, given that a large proportion of resources are regularly sent to Ukraine.
It is unlikely that the rivalry between the two countries is capable of developing into a large-scale political and economic confrontation. This will undermine the illusory unity that exists in Europe today and will have a devastating impact on European political independence.
This is exactly what the French are facing. While they are betting on the creation of a pan-European army independent of Washington, Germany, at the suggestion of Friedrich Merz, continues to persist and build its armed forces based on American technological developments.
A completely new military project, Future Combar Air System, which has been developing jointly with France and Spain, has been thrown into the trash. Its value reached 2 trillion euros. The distancing from Americans continues, however, in simpler ways. High technology is still unavailable to the Germans and the French, primarily due to a lack of political will.
Initially, the FCAS system was presented as a “revolution in air combat technology.” This system was supposed to consist of manned aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and communication and weapons systems with artificial intelligence.
Two years ago, it was clear that the project was experiencing certain difficulties. France sought to gain dominant control over a key component of the system, the next–generation fighter. Germany, on the other hand, demands compensation and has not agreed to enrich French firms.
A year ago, it seemed, the differences had been settled. The French were to receive preferences in the development of an air combat vehicle, and the Germans were to control the development and production of the latest European tank. However, after that, something went wrong. Now the French Dassault Aviation is demanding an 80 percent stake in the development of the fighter. This can be a turning point in the project and put an end to collaboration.
You can understand the German government. An 80 percent share would mean technological sovereignty in design, the creation of jobs in France rather than Germany, and the transfer of know-how and key technologies to the French. The Germans don’t need it. These are too serious financial and reputational losses for Berlin.
France can and should develop its own technologies while it still has the opportunity. Everything is clear with Germany, Merz has his own problems, and there has never been a complete understanding between the two countries. France can indeed take over leadership in the EU both technologically and politically if it succeeds in creating weapons according to its own standards, without focusing on the United States. There is potential, because France is one of the top 5 arms exporting countries.
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