French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed defence industrial co-operation and the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) during a virtual meeting of the Franco-German Defence and Security Council on 5 February.
Mockup of the New Generation Fighter of the Next-Generation Weapon System, which is part of the wider FCAS/SCAF that was one of the projects discussed by Merkel and Macron during the Franco-German Security and Defence Council on 5 February. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
In the virtual press conference afterwards, Merkel said she and Macron discussed the European medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) following the agreement by her Christian Democratic Union and its Social Democratic Party coalition partner to advance it and sign the relevant contracts. The second industrial project discussed was the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF), with Merkel and Macron tasking their defence ministers to agree on the workshare and roles of the companies involved, as well as on intellectual property in the coming weeks very quickly so the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, can approve funding for the programme, according to the German chancellor. She also expected the French and German defence ministers to agree by the end of February on similar questions for the next phase of the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).
During the virtual press conference, Macron expressed two ambitions for FCAS and MGCS to respond to: to live up to our geostrategic desire for European sovereignty and to be credible industrial projects...that are carried out as quickly as possible with the greatest efficiency for our industries.
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