Nothing is going well between France and Germany, which, according to Paris, goes alone both in defense and in energy. On both sides of the Rhine, arguments rain down to blame the other or to find ways of appeasement.
The war in Ukraine has only worsened the situation both in terms of Europe’s defense and the energy crisis. A sign of higher than usual tensions, Germany decided on Wednesday to postpone the Franco-German Council of Ministers to January which was to be held on October 26 at Fontainebleau. A novelty since the creation in 2003 by Jacques Chirac of this meeting.
Officially, the agenda of the ministers would not allow all of them to be present. Unofficially, this meeting cannot take place before agreements have been reached on the sticking points. And many of them are liquidated in just three months.
Germany is accused of wanting to do it alone. Emmanuel Macron warns that his isolation “would not be good”“ neither for Germany nor for Europe.” To alleviate the situation, the French president will receive German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Paris on Wednesday, October 26.
A look back at the disagreements between the two countries that form the basis of the European Union.
• The truly European “sky shield”?
The anti-aircraft shield for European defense is that of discord. Instead of organizing a common defense, Germany wants to become the central player in European defense. Berlin brought together fourteen NATO member countries for the joint acquisition of anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense equipment within the framework of an initiative called “European sky shield” of which France is not a member and from which the French industrialist MBDA has been excluded.
To protect Northern and Eastern Europe from a Russian threat, the chosen system does not come from the European arms industry. It is the Arrow 3, a device of 2,000 million dollars developed by the Israeli IAI with the American Boeing.
Arrow 3 capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at more than 100 kilometers high and with a range of up to 2400 kilometers. Berlin demands that it be operational from 2025 in three places in Germany to protect its territory, but also Poland, Romania and the Baltic countries.
• What is the status of common weapons programs?
For years, France and Germany have been partners in developing the weapons systems of the future. In the air, it is the Scaf program (air combat system of the future) in which the 5th generation fighter, the NGF (Nex generation fighter) will have to replace the Rafale and the Eurofighter from 2040.
This program is not advancing, despite the budget vote to create a demonstrator in 2025 by Paris, Berlin and Madrid, also partners. In question, a disagreement between the French Dassault Aviation and the European Airbus who dispute the management of the device project. However, Airbus has won all other projects. Its German unit will lead the design of the drones and the Combat Cloud and its Spanish subsidiary will be in charge of the development of stealth technologies.
But beyond that, a political disagreement doesn’t move the case forward either. Already in 2020, a report from the German Ministry of Defense indicated that a “strong French position” risked transforming the new generation combat aircraft, the NGF (New generation fighter) into “Rafale +” financed with the help of Germany and Spain. If the argument changes over time, this line does not change. Last September, the German General Staff, which validated a contract for the purchase of thirty F-35s, affirmed its opposition.
This statement has several purposes. In addition to the Scaf, General Zorn evokes the tank of the future MGCS (Main Groud Combat System) that will replace the Leclerc and the Leopard in 2035.
At the same time, other decisions have shaken the partnership between France and Germany. The main contractor of the Eurodrone, Airbus chose the engine from the American GE instead of Safran. Finally, there was a contract with Boeing to five P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol boats thus defeating the MAWS program that intended to replace, as of 2030, the Atlantique 2 of the French Navy and the P-3 Orion of the German Navy.
• Why didn’t Germany want to put a cap on gasoline prices?
The NordStream gas pipeline was already the subject of dispute between France and Germany. His sabotage only made things worse. Berlin fears it won’t be able to get enough power to get through the winter and must now rely on help from Europe, particularly France.
A week ago, France began sending gas directly to Germany for the first time. But France, along with 14 other EU member states, is calling for a cap on the price of gasoline.
Berlin opposed this mechanism for several reasons. She fears that gas sellers will turn to other markets if a maximum price is imposed on them. But she is also afraid that she will not have enough energy to get through the winter and have help from Europe, especially France.
The German Greens, who participate in the government of Olaf Scholz, criticize the failures of the French nuclear program, which would pose a threat to the energy supply of the two countries. They point to the state of France’s nuclear power plants, which would force Berlin to make up shortfalls with electricity from gas-fired power plants.
On Thursday, after more than ten hours of heated discussions, the Twenty-seven reached an agreement. Ultimately, the limitation is considered. The Commission must now work on the issue.
• How to arrange for the after Nord Stream?
The landing of the MidCat pipeline causes a disagreement. Started in 2013, it was stopped in 2019 due to its environmental impact. Madrid and Berlin, supported by Lisbon and Central European countries, are campaigning for the relaunch of this project that links Spain with Germany. The pipeline could allow the transport of gas, coming from the United States or Qatar in the form of LNG, or even “green hydrogen”.
Finally, France, Spain and Portugal announced on Thursday that they had reached an agreement to replace the MidCat project with an underwater gas pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille, intended to transport gas and then green hydrogen.
Source: BFM TV
