France and Germany will on Friday discuss a new way of producing weapons in the European Union – the so-called “best athlete” model, where the company most suited to the job builds systems for the whole bloc instead of each country developing its own.
In the face of the threat from Russia and NATO requirements to increase defence spending, the European Union is aiming to produce more weapons.
But the sector is fragmented, and each country has a tendency to favour its own industry, making fast and efficient production a challenge.
To address this and attempt to streamline production, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with their foreign and defence ministers, are to meet on Friday for a Franco-German council on security and defence.
They will meet in the southern French city of Toulon, where the two governments are also holding their annual joint cabinet meeting.
France faces rearmament strain as NATO steps up defence demands
'Best athlete' approach
On the agenda will be whether the EU can implement what has been called the "best athlete" model of producing defence systems, by which each weapon is built by the company with the most relevant expertise – requiring member states to cooperate and shift national security priorities.
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the need for such streamlining.
With different countries sending different weapons systems, this means extra training for soldiers on the ground, and knowledge of how to service a wide range of equipment.
France, Germany agree deal to develop Europe's next generation of tanks
New fighter jet
The approach is being put to the test with current projects between Germany and France, who have teamed up to build a new tank and a next-generation fighter jet known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
Production costs for the €100 billion FCAS project were to be split equally between France and Germany, but the project has stalled because France’s Dassault aviation has requested a larger share in order to establish clearer leadership and to move faster.
Merz said on Wednesday that he has agreed with Macron to make a decision on the future of the FCAS programme by the end of the year, adding that it will not be part of the discussions on Friday.
