Merz and Macron: New era of German-French cooperation!

Merz and Macron: New era of German-French cooperation!

On August 29, 2025, the meeting of the German-French Council of Ministers took place in Toulon, at which important political decisions were agreed between Germany and France. President Emmanuel Macron highlighted the pressing challenges facing both countries and underlined that joint efforts can lead to better results. Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that the “German-French engine” was running again and called for a clear change of course to ensure European competitiveness.

Merz named several key points for this realignment: deepening the internal market, reducing bureaucracy and increasing openness to technology. A planned summit on digital sovereignty in November is intended to initiate further steps in this area. Merz also emphasized that the EU will be responsible for regulating its digital market itself. This regulation is also being discussed against the background of the conflict over the use of nuclear power that has been going on for years and which now appears to have been largely resolved.

Strategic cooperation in energy policy

In energy policy, Paris and Berlin agreed on a “strategic dialogue” on nuclear deterrence. This comes in a context in which Germany and France have assured Ukraine of further air defense support. Merz and Macron also commented on Russia's ongoing aggression and threatened new sanctions if the situation worsened further.

Digital sovereignty as a strategic priority

Another key point of the Ministerial Council meeting was the signing of a declaration of intent for closer cooperation in the area of ​​digital sovereignty. This was declared a strategic priority. Both countries plan to develop an open source-based and interoperable digital workplace for administrative employees. As part of this collaboration, digital tools, including a chat function, will be provided.

The aim of this initiative is to reduce development costs and to use the services already provided by both countries more efficiently. The concept also includes the development of AI tools that automate routine tasks and thus increase administrative efficiency. There are also plans to expand this cooperation to other EU member states. The ideas for cooperation will be presented at the next meeting of the Chief Information Officers, which will take place under the Belgian Presidency.

The open source software strategy of the European Commission and the overarching strategies of the member states serve as the basis for these projects. Both Merz and Macron are optimistic that their joint efforts will not only strengthen European integration, but also advance innovation in the digital sector.

For more information on these developments read Deutschlandfunk and E-tendering.