German officials say a breakthrough must be reached within weeks as tensions persist over the joint programme.
Germany has set a mid-April deadline to resolve ongoing disputes with France over the troubled Future Combat Air System (FCAS), as both sides push for a last ditch agreement on the multibillion euro defence project.
A German government official confirmed on Thursday that Berlin and Paris have agreed to a final round of mediation between the companies involved, with independent experts tasked with helping to bridge differences.
The timeline is tight, with officials stressing that progress must be made before key decisions on Germany’s federal budget are finalised. Failure to reach a deal could put the entire programme at risk.
The development follows talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz late Wednesday, ahead of a European Union leaders’ summit scheduled for March 19–20.
The FCAS project a next-generation air combat system being developed with Spain has been under strain due to a growing dispute over industrial leadership. French aerospace firm Dassault Aviation and Airbus representing Germany and Spain, have clashed publicly over control and workshare in the roughly €100 billion initiative.
Originally launched in 2017 by Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel the ambitious programme is intended to deliver a cutting edge fighter system to replace existing fleets. Spain later joined the partnership, but continued disagreements now threaten to derail one of Europe’s most significant defence collaborations.
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