France, Germany back reforms for faster EU response to geopolitical challenges

The French minister for European affairs said Paris wants the EU to respond more quickly to geopolitical challenges and supports reform efforts in this area alongside Germany.

"France and Germany support stronger, more coherent, and better-coordinated EU external action to enable more effective and rapid responses to geopolitical challenges," Benjamin Haddad told French weekly Le Point on Sunday.

Haddad said Paris and Berlin want the European Council meeting in October to task its presidency with preparing proposals to reform the internal organization of EU institutions.

He emphasized that the European External Action Service (EEAS), the bloc's diplomatic arm, plays a key role and said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has France's full support.

His remarks came after the 26th Franco-German Council of Ministers, held in Bruhl, Germany, on July 17.

Haddad said the two countries sought to establish clear roadmaps for joint action at a time when Europe faces Russia's war against Ukraine, Chinese commercial pressure and uncertainty over the US commitment to the continent.

"The challenge is to see how, together, we can carry weight and speak with one voice in European debates," he said.

Acknowledging that France and Germany do not always agree, Haddad argued that cooperation between the two countries remains essential to advancing European initiatives.

He said Paris and Berlin had also discussed defense, artificial intelligence, technology, support for Ukraine and the EU's next long-term budget.

Haddad further advocated a "European preference" in industrial policy, particularly when EU taxpayer funds are used, arguing that terms such as "Made in Europe," once considered unacceptable in Berlin, are gaining support amid growing competition from China.