Overview

• Macron and Merz led a Franco‑German Council of Ministers in Toulon, followed by a joint defense council with roughly ten ministers from each country.
• The two governments adopted eight coordinated roadmaps spanning energy, commerce, industry and digital sovereignty.
• They endorsed the principle that nuclear power should face no discrimination in access to European Union financing.
• A decision on the Scaf future combat aircraft was deferred to the end of the year as Dassault publicly questioned the program’s viability.
• Their discussions covered security guarantees for Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program and the situation in Gaza, while a September 8 confidence vote in France and coalition pressures in Germany may constrain follow‑through.