The Franco-German Brigade and the Revival of European Defense
One thing has been clear since Donald Trump's return to the White House: the very existence of the European unification project is threatened. Unless it develops a sovereign defense policy to counter the war in Ukraine and the weakening of American security guarantees, the European Union will continue to see its internal cohesion and external attractiveness wane.
France and Germany can prevent this scenario, but will they show sufficient political will? The evolution of the Franco-German brigade will be a good indicator for assessing their actual readiness.
- The context of the creation of the brigade, at the end of the Cold War, has analogies with the current situation and testifies to the fact that Europeans have lost more than thirty years to strengthen their security.
- The German government urgently needs to engage in a strategic dialogue on Europe’s security – first with France, then with other European partners.
- Donald Trump's election victory has revived the idea of a "European army." But this is, in the current situation, completely unrealistic. The Franco-German brigade will bear witness to the possibility of long-term integration of European defense, and the Europeanisation of Nato.
- The brigade aims to demonstrate the Franco-German capacity for momentum in Eastern Europe – integrated into NATO structures and in close coordination with partner states on the ground.
Jacob Ross works as a research fellow at DGAP where he focuses on France and Franco-German relations. He previously worked as an assistant at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the French National Assembly, as well as in two departments of the French Foreign Ministry.
Nicolas Téterchen is a PhD student at the University of Cergy; his work focuses on the perceptions of defence policy in Germany from 1990 to 2022. He is a research assistant in the France and Franco-German Relations programme at the German Council on Foreign Relations (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Auswärtige Politik, DGAP) in Berlin. He previously worked at the French-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Paris.
This briefing is partly based on discussions that took place during a colloquium in Strasbourg in May 2024. It was organized jointly by the DGAP and the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (CERFA) of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
This publication is available in the following languages:
- French: "La brigade franco-allemande et la relance de la défense européenne" (pdf)
- German: on the website of the DGAP: "Deutsch-französische Führung für ein souveränes Europa. Die Deutsch-Französische Brigade kann zeigen, ob der politische Willen dafür reicht" (pdf)
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Ifri Briefing, 8 April 2025
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The Franco-German Brigade and the Revival of European Defense
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The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
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