By Sabine Siebold

BERLIN (Reuters) -The German government must swiftly decide whether to proceed with the development of a Franco-German fighter jet or leave the project, a prominent member of the German parliament’s defence committee told Reuters on the eve of high-level talks.

Berlin blames French industry for blocking the next phase in the development of the FCAS program by demanding sole leadership of the project, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The differences could jeopardise the launch of the second phase, namely developing airworthy demonstrators, that had originally been scheduled for the end of this year, according to defence sources.

The topic will come up in talks between French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and their ministers on the Mediterranea

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