Paris and Berlin have never agreed on how far the EU should go in building up its own defence industry versus keeping the market open to outside partners. Now, as Europe's defence needs to grow more, that disagreement is coming to a head.
With Washington gradually pulling back from Europe, Russian pressure mounting on the eastern flank and China's geopolitical ambitions growing, the EU has rarely faced a more urgent moment to build up its own defence capabilities. But France and Germany cannot agree on how to do it.
