Brussels/Berlin, June 2025 — French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have jointly emphasised the urgency of bolstering European defence capabilities, asserting the need for greater strategic autonomy as global security dynamics shift.

Merkel’s successor and Macron reaffirmed commitment to a reinforced Franco‑German partnership, starting with coordinated defence efforts under the European Union framework and NATO support structures .

Macron warned that Russia poses a direct threat to European security and insisted Europe “must prepare itself for an era of uncertainty,” citing the need for credible defence industries and increased military capacity independent of Washington .

Merz, responding to concerns about diminished U.S. engagement under the new administration, called for Europe to “take charge of its own defence” and lead collective military preparation. He said European states should assume responsibility ahead of a NATO summit expected in Hague .

Both leaders highlighted recent reforms: Germany’s amendment of its debt rules to permit defence spending above one percent of GDP and the establishment of a substantial rearmament fund; and France’s advocacy for EU-wide coordinated procurement and shared nuclear deterrence infrastructure .

At a recent EU summit, member states agreed to loosen fiscal constraints to facilitate military spending, including the potential activation of a one hundred fifty‑billion‑euro defence investment fund .

Eastern European governments, notably Poland and the Baltic states, have backed increased military investment and integration, while central and southern EU members are reassessing strategic roles and defence contributions .

This wave of rearmament continues a broader realignment of European defence policy initiated amid the Russia–Ukraine war and accelerated by recent shifts in U.S. foreign policy, including freezes in aid to Ukraine under the latest U.S. administration .

Macron and Merz’s public unity seeks to foreground a renewed Franco‑German drive towards defence collaboration, industrial capacity building and shared strategic intent across the continent .