The leaders of France and Germany yesterday sought to put the collapse of a flagship joint jet fighter project behind them as they agreed on a symbolic step towards greater nuclear deterrence and stronger defences for Europe.
Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference after a joint meeting of the two governments, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that this year would see German troops join a French military nuclear exercise.
"This is complementary to our nuclear participation and deterrence within Nato, which we still hold to," he said.
Macron said earlier this year that Germany was one of eight countries which had agreed to participate in a French-led nuclear deterrence project.
However he has stressed that France — one of Western Europe's two nuclear powers alongside the United Kingdom — will retain tight control over nuclear decision-making.
For Macron, there is an urgent need to make progress in this area before next spring's presidential election in which far-right leader Marine Le Pen is a frontrunner to be his successor.
The prospect of a Le Pen presidency adds yet more uncertainty for European countries already scrambling to boost defence capabilities in the face of the Russian threat and waning US commitment under President Donald Trump.
Merz also said Germany would take part in "a manoeuvre in the autumn held on the initiative of France" as part of the Coalition of the Willing group of Ukraine's allies.
"We will clarify together what form exactly this participation will take," he said.
At a meeting of the group on Monday, Macron said a Multinational Force for Ukraine, which would be deployed once the fighting ends, would hold exercises in the coming months in countries neighbouring Ukraine "to validate our deployment plans and demonstrate that we are ready".
— Historic site —
Yesterday morning, Merz welcomed Macron at the Noervenich air base near Cologne, with the two leaders emerging from a Super Puma helicopter — itself a symbol of successful Franco-German co-operation.
They then led a joint defence and security council held next to a French Rafale jet and a Eurofighter, a key component of Germany's air force.
The full cabinets of both governments got together for talks in a castle near Cologne, where French president Charles de Gaulle and German chancellor Konrad Adenauer agreed on the idea of a friendship treaty between the two countries in 1962.
The two countries had been seeking to "bounce back" from last month's implosion of the joint Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet project, which fell victim to bickering between Airbus and France's Dassault.
There are also fears for another joint project, the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), which aims to replace battle tanks used by France and Germany and has been buffeted by internal tensions since Germany's Rheinmetall entered the project.
A joint statement from the two countries after yesterday's meeting said only that they wanted to "investigate an approach" for MGCS in order to "bring it to a proof-of-concept state".
The allies also pledged to co-operate on long-range missile capacity, air defence, satellite Internet and early warning capabilities.
— 'Beware of the polls' —
Asked about the prospect of a Le Pen victory in 2027's election, Merz said that Germany would "extend a hand" to whoever was elected.
"We will continue to do everything we can to ensure that this co-operation with our French neighbours remains as close, as deep and as trusting as possible," Merz said.
"That applies regardless of what voters in our two countries decide."
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has also established a steady lead in German polls, although other parties have so far maintained a "firewall", preventing co-operation with the party.
Macron himself addressed the question of his successor and said that caution should be taken with regard to surveys predicting a Le Pen victory.
"Beware of the polls," he said.
"Trust the French people, don't always predict the worst for them. Allow them to want the best."