Overview

• The ministerial council convened behind closed doors at a fortress near Cap Brun in Toulon, led by Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron with roughly 20 ministers in attendance.
• Leaders planned to unveil eight strategic documents and about 20 lighthouse projects, including action plans on cutting bureaucracy, energy policy and strengthening the EU single market.
• The FCAS next-generation air-combat program saw no agreement, with a revised target set for year-end and an October meeting in Berlin planned by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
• Prime Minister François Bayrou has set a September 8 confidence vote, creating uncertainty over the durability of the French cabinet and the follow-through on any accords.
• Despite warmer personal ties, major differences remain over joint European defense financing, nuclear energy policy and the EU–Mercosur trade agreement.