BERLIN — British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting arrives in Berlin on Monday to discuss closer military cooperation with Germany. But internal German defense ministry briefings seen by POLITICO show the two countries still face tough choices over how to work together.

The documents, prepared for internal talks with various defense companies ahead of Streeting’s visit, reveal how Britain and Germany intend to divide responsibility for developing two new types of missiles, the industrial competition taking shape and the technological challenges that remain.

The stakes extend well beyond their bilateral relationship. Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed gaps in Europe’s defenses, while uncertainty over America’s long-term military commitment has increased pressure on European governments to develop more of their own weapons.

Streeting will meet his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, as the countries discuss the development of long-range missiles together, even as Berlin weighs whether to join Britain’s next fighter-jet program or pursue a different European partnership.

“The defining test is not where every single component of a piece of kit or equipment was made,” Streeting said on Oct. 22 at the opening of a British artillery factory by German arms giant Rheinmetall. His message: Allies must prioritize delivering weapons over competing industrial interests.

Building Europe’s next missiles

At the heart of the partnership is a plan to develop weapons capable of hitting targets more than 2,000 kilometers away. Known as Deep Precision Strike, or DPS, the project aims to give European forces the ability to strike far behind enemy lines without relying on American missiles.

The internal briefings reveal how Britain and Germany intend to divide the work.

Britain will lead development of a missile designed to fly low and evade enemy radar, known as the High-End Cruise Missile. The first version is expected to be ready for military use in 2032.

Germany will take charge of a different weapon, designed to travel several times the speed of sound. A rocket would carry this so-called hypersonic glide vehicle high into the sky before releasing it toward its target. Berlin aims to have it ready for military use by 2035.

The two weapons are the centerpiece of the partnership, but Germany and Britain are also considering other ways to strengthen their long-range strike capabilities, the briefing shows.

For the two-part DPS project, the plans involve significant investment. Britain has committed £770 million over four years to the wider missile effort. Separate German budget material seen by POLITICO identifies more than €9 billion in future spending, although without a defined timeframe.

But agreeing which country leads each project is only part of the task. The countries must also decide which companies will develop the weapons.

Competition behind the cooperation

For the German-led hypersonic weapon, the ministry plans to have two companies develop competing experimental versions by 2029.

One is MBDA, Europe’s established missile manufacturer. The other is Hypersonica, a much smaller German-British startup. Their designs would be tested before Berlin decides how to proceed.

The competition could prove sensitive. According to the internal German briefing, the ministry anticipates that MBDA may worry its younger rival could benefit from technical knowledge gained during development and testing. 

Hypersonica, meanwhile, is already gaining experience through Nightfall, a British-funded project to develop missiles for Ukraine. According to the briefing, some of that work could help the startup develop a more advanced German-British weapon.

Another complication will be finding out what role France will play — if at all.

When Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron met in July, they agreed to explore cooperation with Britain on long-range weapons, specifically highlighting that ArianeGroup, the Franco-German rocket manufacturer, could play a role.

However, political agreement between European governments does not automatically settle industrial arrangements.

The ministry briefing says talks about involving ArianeGroup in developing a booster — the rocket component that would propel the hypersonic weapon into flight — proved difficult because of limited rights to use the technology. The document does not specify what those restrictions entail.

For Britain and Germany, the next step is to turn these plans into firm commitments. Officials have discussed initial agreements to advance the missile project before the end of the year, separate documents seen by POLITICO show, although it remains unclear whether any will be signed during Streeting’s visit.

Responding to POLITICO’s request, the German defense ministry declined to comment.

A difficult choice in the skies

While Britain and Germany are moving closer together on a missile partnership, their plans for building the next generation of fighter jets pose the question: Which countries does Berlin want as its long-term defense partners after its flagship fighter-jet project with France collapsed in June?

Britain has moved to fill that gap. During a visit to Berlin earlier this month, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham encouraged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to consider joining the advanced fighter program London is already developing with Italy and Japan, known as GCAP.

For Britain, German participation would help divide the enormous costs of developing a new fighter jet. For Berlin, it offers something beyond the aircraft itself: closer post-Brexit ties with Britain, a major European military power and key NATO ally, as well as a strategic partnership with Japan.

That diplomatic appeal matters as Europe takes on more responsibility for its own security amid uncertainty over America’s future commitment to the continent. 

But Germany’s defense ministry sees problems with the British offer.

“At present, cooperation with Sweden and Spain appears preferable,” one of the internal briefings states, pointing to a better match with Germany’s military needs rather than GCAP.

Officials also worry that Germany would have too little influence over a program in which Britain, Italy and Japan have already divided much of the development work among their companies. 

That leaves Berlin weighing the diplomatic benefits of joining Britain against the military and industrial advantages of starting over with different partners.

For Streeting, the visit to Berlin therefore comes at an important moment with unresolved issues. Britain and Germany are making tangible progress on missiles, but London has yet to convince Berlin that it should also become a partner in Britain’s next fighter jet.

To read the full Q&A with Laura Codruța Kövesi, click here.

ATHENS — Ursula von der Leyen has not yet provided an in-person statement to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office for its investigation into the procurement of coronavirus vaccines, according to an individual involved in the effort who was granted anonymity to speak freely.

In 2024, EPPO took over the Belgian-led probe into alleged criminal wrongdoing in connection with vaccine negotiations between the European Commission chief and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. Prosecutors have been investigating von der Leyen for “interference in public functions, destruction of SMS, corruption and conflict of interest,” according to legal documents seen by POLITICO.

Asked to respond to the assertion that von der Leyen has failed to provide a statement on the so-called Pfizergate affair, Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said: “The Commission has demonstrably cooperated extensively with EPPO to clarify facts and assess events.”

“This was always done on behalf of and with the full support of the President. The President has always been, and continues to be, very cooperative in answering to any open questions — within the limits of her duties and her availability as President of the Commission.”

In an interview with POLITICO, EPPO chief prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi, who wraps up her seven-year tenure on Friday, said she has on multiple occasions dealt with EU officials who refused to answer summons from her office. “Some politicians think that they are above the law,” she said. “If you are called in for a statement, you have to come.”

She added: “I will not be shy to tell you that especially when important people are involved in the investigation — be it high-profile politicians or rich people who are connected to the political class, we have difficulties in exercising our competence.”

When asked whether von der Leyen was one of the officials in question, Kövesi said she wouldn’t comment on specific investigations.

Killing EPPO softly

EPPO, set up in 2017 and operational since 2021, is tasked with rooting out crimes involving EU funds. As head of the organization, Kövesi said she has faced repeated attacks and attempts to undermine the institution and its work.

“As I leave my office, I think of this famous Danish TV show, Borgen. There is a very famous saying there: ‘In Brussels, no one can hear you scream,’ and unfortunately, this is true,” she said, in a nod to the Ridley Scott blockbuster Alien. “I am concerned that the EPPO is going to be killed softly because it’s doing its job.”

Kövesi cited three main factors undermining the institution’s work: chronic underfunding, delays in the revision of the organization’s legal framework and the complexity of its bureaucratic architecture, which she said leads to “endless discussion about how to complicate the life of the prosecutors.”

Asked what she would do differently if she could start over again, the chief prosecutor said she “would do the same things, but maybe the others should change their behavior,” adding that the biggest challenge her successor, German prosecutor Andrés Ritter, will face is keeping EPPO “independent and credible.”

Greece’s ‘blatant’ intimidation

Kövesi said that during her tenure, “the most blatant attempt” to intimidate EPPO prosecutors was in Greece, which was hit by a farm funding scandal last year — leading to the resignation of ministers and deputy ministers. The cases of four MPs from the ruling New Democracy party are currently being heard in court. They all plead innocent.

Last May, EPPO sent a formal complaint to the Commission regarding moves by the Greek government to block EU prosecutors from investigating Greek lawmakers. It also complained about the Greek Supreme Judicial Council’s refusal to renew the mandate of European-delegated prosecutors for five years at EPPO’s request. Kövesi warned that this could result in EU funding cuts for Greece under Article 16 of the EPPO Regulation.

The cooperation between EPPO and the Greek government has been difficult, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hinting at a political agenda by EPPO by complaining of “selective leaks.”

“All the noise was created to blame EPPO that we play politics instead of discussing what happened in reality,” said Kövesi. “Some politicians speak about an independent and efficient judiciary, until you touch them and until you go close to their inner circle. In that moment, the prosecutors are abusive, they have a political agenda, they are not needed.”

Some Greek government officials have suggested that Greece could simply opt out of the EU institution, but Kövesi said this is “almost impossible.”

The chief prosecutor also raised concerns about the impact of budgetary restrictions on EPPO’s work elsewhere in the bloc. The organization is currently setting up its operations in Hungary, which officially became a participating member of EPPO in August 2026 — but Kövesi is skeptical about how successful it will be.

“We explained exactly what we need to do our job, but the Commission proposed half of [the budget] we need,” she said, adding that EPPO’s “credibility is at stake” in countries like Poland, where “expectations were huge” but the organization has not been able to deliver on its promises.

EPPO is also investigating the alleged misuse of more than €4 million by the Identity and Democracy group, a defunct political grouping in the European Parliament whose debts Patriots for Europe could be forced to repay. The latter group includes France’s far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, the frontrunner ahead of France’s 2027 presidential elections.

“If you ask EPPO to abstain and to not do anything because there are elections in Europe, we will not work at all,” said Kövesi.

Mari Eccles contributed to this report.

PARIS — Les distributeurs de carburants s’apprêtent à bénéficier d’une libération de stocks stratégiques de diesel censée faire baisser les prix. Ils n’auront pas à les reconstituer par la suite, a appris POLITICO auprès de deux distributeurs ainsi que de l’Ufip-EM, la fédération représentant l’industrie pétrolière française.

Le 7 octobre, le Premier ministre Sébastien Lecornu a annoncé la libération, à partir du 1^er novembre, de dix millions de barils de gazole issus des stocks stratégiques.

Cette libération permettra aux distributeurs d’acheter du diesel au prix moyen auquel il a été constitué, soit environ 28 centimes d’euros le litre. Avec un prix bien plus bas que les prix de marché actuels, la vente devrait permettre un allègement de 12 à 18 centimes au litre sur les prix à la pompe. La première base légale a été posée par un décret paru samedi.

Si Sébastien Lecornu avait annoncé que “les opérateurs auront jusqu’à un an pour reconstituer ces stocks”, il a cependant été décidé de ne pas reconstituer les réserves à l’issue de nombreux échanges avec les entreprises concernées.

Cette obligation posait en effet plusieurs défis. Dans l’hypothèse où la situation géopolitique resterait durablement tendue et où les prix de marché demeureraient élevés, les distributeurs auraient dû racheter et rendre ces stocks au prix fort. Cela se serait traduit par un effet de rattrapage à la pompe.

Par ailleurs, la consommation de diesel baisse d’année en année, car les Français restreignent leurs dépenses et se tournent davantage vers les voitures électriques ou à essence. Un mouvement qui s’est accéléré cette année et qui rend la reconstitution de ces réserves moins nécessaire aux yeux du gouvernement et du secteur.

“On anticipe ce qui se serait produit dans les deux, trois ans”, commente Philippe Casbas, président de l’Ufip-EM.

D’après les chiffres du gouvernement, ces dix millions de barils représentent un cinquième des stocks stratégiques de gazole. L’ensemble de ces stocks est censé assurer trois mois de consommation au pays.

La décision de ne pas reconstituer les stocks devrait se traduire par un décret qui modifiera l’obligation des stockages des vendeurs de carburants. “C’est dans les tuyaux”, abonde un autre distributeur, qui préfère le conditionnel tant que le décret n’est pas paru. “C’est peut-être la meilleure des solutions”, soupèse-t-il, précisant qu’il aurait été très difficile de reconstituer des réserves à 28 centimes le litre.

“Cela ne me paraît pas trop dangereux pour notre indépendance énergétique”, conclut-il.

Sollicités, Matignon et le ministère de l’Energie n’ont pas fait de commentaire.

PARIS — Voici une ligne budgétaire symbolique qui va dégonfler en 2026. Selon un document parlementaire consulté en avant-première par POLITICO, le coût des avantages réservés aux anciens Premiers ministres est estimé à environ 1,2 million d’euros, en baisse d’un demi-million d’euros par rapport à 2025 (1,72 million). Une baisse d’une ampleur inédite depuis 2019, selon les données rassemblées par la députée Marie-Christine Dalloz (LR) dans son rapport spécial au projet de loi de finances.

La diminution a deux explications. D’abord, la disparition de Lionel Jospin en mars et d’Edouard Balladur en août, qui mobilisaient les moyens mis à leur disposition à hauteur de 260 000 euros en 2025. Ensuite, le décret pris par Sébastien Lecornu à son arrivée à Matignon qui met fin, depuis le 1er janvier et de manière rétroactive, à la possibilité pour ses prédécesseurs de bénéficier d’un chauffeur avec véhicule de fonction, dix ans après avoir quitté leurs fonctions.

En théorie, Dominique de Villepin, François Fillon, Alain Juppé, Laurent Fabius, Jean-Marc Ayrault et Edith Cresson ont donc perdu cet avantage. Sauf que cette dernière a obtenu le maintien de cette largesse d’après Mediapart.

Quant à Jean-Pierre Raffarin, il dispose toujours d’un véhicule fourni par le Quai d’Orsay, au titre d’une “mission officielle temporaire et non rémunérée quant aux relations sino-françaises”, avait-il expliqué à l’AFP, après que celui-ci a été impliqué dans un accident à Paris en juin.

Cette réforme devrait faire économiser quelques centaines de milliers d’euros à l’Etat, plus que jamais en quête d’économies. L’enveloppe devrait rester stable par la suite : “La prévision pour 2027 est proche de celle de 2026”, écrit Marie-Christine Dalloz.

Pour rappel, les anciens Premiers ministres bénéficient d’un secrétariat particulier pendant dix ans après la fin de leurs fonctions, et ce jusqu’à 67 ans (ou dix ans pour ceux qui ont quitté Matignon avant 2019, quel que soit leur âge). L’octroi d’un chauffeur avec voiture était un avantage “à vie”, avant la limitation dans le temps introduite par le décret Lecornu.

Interrogée par POLITICO, la députée constate cependant que, de la part des intéressés, “il n’y a pas de volonté de réduction, il y a une utilisation des enveloppes allouées, point final”.

Marie-Christine Dalloz souhaite donc limiter ces deux avantages à cinq ans, dans un amendement qu’elle défendra jeudi en commission des Finances au budget 2027. Economies espérées, l’année prochaine : 520 000 euros.

Attal, Borne, Barnier : trois députés avec chauffeurs

Dans cette enveloppe globalement en baisse, l’ex de Matignon Gabriel Attal fait gonfler l’addition. Sa voiture avec chauffeur a entrainé une dépense, l’année dernière, de plus de 145 000 euros. Contactée, son équipe n’a pas souhaité nous répondre.

En tant que député, il n’a pas le droit à un secrétariat particulier, tout comme Elisabeth Borne. En 2025, l’ex-Première ministre a coûté 26 450 euros. Un montant moins élevé que son successeur à Matignon, qui s’explique par le simple fait qu’elle a été ministre de l’Education nationale jusqu’au 12  octobre 2025. Tous frais compris, ses avantages s’étaient élevés à 110 779 euros en 2024.

François Bayrou a bénéficié d’une voiture de fonction dès son départ de Matignon pour des raisons de sécurité. “Il ne voulait pas de protection en quittant Matignon”, assure un membre de son entourage, mais on lui a opposé une fin de non-recevoir. Lui comme Michel Barnier, âgés de 75 ans, ne peuvent plus bénéficier d’un secrétariat particulier.

Laurent Fabius retrouve aussi l’usage de ces avantages, après avoir quitté sa fonction de président du Conseil constitutionnel en mars 2025.

Edouard Philippe, en tant que maire du Havre, ne peut pour l’instant pas en profiter.

Depuis 2019, Dominique de Villepin et Bernard Cazeneuve, aujourd’hui associé du cabinet d’avocats August Debouzy, se disputent la place de l’ex-chef du gouvernement le plus coûteux. C’est toujours vrai en 2025, en utilisant respectivement des moyens publics à hauteur de 209 597 et 197 007 euros.

NDLR : Paul de Villepin, coauteur de cet article, est un parent éloigné de Dominique de Villepin