France, Germany and European defence: more pragmatism and less pathos, please

Abstract:

At the time of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Elysée treaty in January 2013, the Franco-German defence cooperation is not at its best.

Even though the bilateral cooperation is intense and has permitted various projects, it does not include all areas and still lacks efficiency. Misunderstandings persist and the network created so far between the two countries has not yet proved sufficient to overcome the differences. The disparities over strategic culture, ambitions on the international scene or the defence industry reveal different priorities of the two countries and, consequently, the agreements are often merely rhetoric. In addition to this, in the current context of economic crisis the two governments’ attention is focused elsewhere.

However, in the light of the international developments an improved cooperation seems inevitable. The shift in North Americas’ zone of interest towards Asia, and significant cuts in defence budgets in virtually of all European member states result in a considerable weakening of the Continents military capacities. Therefore, the bilateral cooperation is a necessity that has to be revived and improved. The author offers several propositions regarding the political, military and industrial sphere; for example, the creation of an investment pool, of a Franco-German Airwing, of a market place for surplus of military equipment and of regional capacity targets. The cooperation has to be consolidated within the European project in order to enable feasible projects that are mutually desired. This would allow Paris and Berlin but also Europe to maintain credible security and defence capacities.

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