Germany and France may scrap their joint FCAS fighter jet project

Germany and France are considering suspending or effectively winding down their joint defense project to develop the next-generation FCAS fighter jet. The initiative, which had been in the works for several years and involved billions in funding, has encountered serious difficulties during implementation. Due to disagreements between the parties, the project—which was intended to be a key element of future European defense aviation—is now at risk of collapse.

According to sources, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have jointly concluded that Dassault and Airbus cannot reach an agreement on the development of a joint fighter jet.

However, on Monday, government sources in Berlin stated that they intend to continue joint development of a common “system of systems” designed to integrate aircraft and drones. It is expected that at a Franco-German ministerial meeting in mid-July, the defense ministries of both countries will present a working plan outlining several joint projects in the field of armaments.

Macron launched this project in 2017 together with then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Spain later joined.

Relations between Dassault and Airbus had deteriorated to such an extent that few project participants believed it would continue, but the final decision was to be made by national leaders.

This was reported by ntv, citing sources in the German government.
 

France and Germany are proposing to accelerate the integration of Moldova and the Balkans into the EU.

Ukraine and Moldova are set to begin negotiations on EU accession.

Cyprus, which currently holds the EU presidency, has initiated preparations for the official launch of negotiations, and this decision is considered an important milestone for Ukraine and Moldova on the path to European integration, as it effectively opens a new stage of political and legal rapprochement with the EU. This was reported by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

The European Commission announced plans to allocate up to 641 million euros for the development and support of Moldova’s economy. This was stated by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos during her visit to Chisinau.