After the €100bn Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fell apart, Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron host a two‑day retreat near Cologne to soothe EU tensions. Merz, who pulled the fighter‑jet element in June, says the programme no longer suits Germany’s armed forces. Macron, who launched FCAS with former chancellor Angela Merkel, expressed deep regret over the project’s failure and warned that fragmentation in Europe’s rearmament drive is “an absurdity”.

The leaders will still work together on FCAS’s combat cloud and will discuss cooperation on nuclear deterrence, space, AI, digital policy and capital markets. The meeting, which includes a private dinner at Schloss Bensberg, marks a crucial step toward rebuilding trust between the EU’s largest economies. Other headlines include Norway’s former prime minister urging a referendum on EU membership, Hungary’s ex‑foreign minister Péter Szijjártó joining Chinese automaker BYD, and EU ministers meetingextra‑regional topics.

These stories underscore a Europe re‑examining defence, trade and political alliances amid shifting global dynamics.