Germany, France, and Spain are set to hold talks this week to end a deadlock over Europe’s next-generation fighter jet program, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), valued at up to €100 billion. The project is considered vital for European defense as the war in Ukraine continues.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and French counterpart Catherine Vautrin are meeting in Berlin Thursday, with Spain’s Margarita Robles joining Friday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron are also expected to address the dispute next week, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The program has faced delays due to industrial rivalries between France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus over how production and technology responsibilities should be divided. A senior German lawmaker suggested focusing on “Combat Cloud” data networks and unmanned systems, allowing each country to concentrate on its own fighter jet while salvaging the project.
Tensions escalated when Germany’s powerful IG Metall union warned it would halt cooperation if Dassault retained its role, citing a loss of trust. Dassault and the French metalworking employers’ association rejected any exclusion of France’s industrial interests.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury expressed confidence that the program would move forward, though the precise cooperation model remains undecided. EU leaders are scheduled to meet in Brussels December 17–19, while Merz has called for a decision on FCAS’s future by year-end.