Key European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte joined French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday to commemorate France's national holiday, Bastille Day, which marks the July 14, 1789 storming of the Bastille fortress in Paris during the French Revolution.

Troops from 10 countries took part in the European Intervention Initiative (EI2) and paraded down the Champs-Elysees. A total of 4,000 military personnel, 69 military airplanes and 39 helicopters were involved in the display.

Heads of state and government from Belgium, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal also joined Merkel and Macron in the reviewing stand.

Merkel walked with Macron to salute war veterans after the parade without incident. The chancellor had been seen to tremble at three official events in Berlin in recent weeks. Merkel celebrates her 65th birthday on Wednesday.

French Bastille Day celebrations Looking forward French President Emmanuel Macron and Chief of the Defense Staff of the French Army General Francois Lecointre acknowledge the crowds from a command car during the military parade in the French capital. President Macron used France’s national day to urge European cooperation.

French Bastille Day celebrations Down the Champs Elysees The parade has been held on July 14 each year since 1880 on a route from the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs Elysees to the Place de la Concorde. Military bands lead the parade followed by cadets from military schools and various army, navy and air force divisions as flypasts continue overhead.

French Bastille Day celebrations Merkel rises to the parade Among those attending the celebrations was Chancellor Angela Merkel. Last year, she told the European Parliament a 'true European Army' would be better for NATO, and a more efficient partner for the United States.

French Bastille Day celebrations French tricolor flag on Bastille Day The French tricolor flag waves in the Sunday morning breeze as soldiers look on in front of the Arc de Triomphe. Bastille Day is celebrated on 14 July each year and in French it is officially known as la Fête nationale, défilé militaire du 14 juillet.

French Bastille Day celebrations Tank top A French tank enters the scene. The Char Leclerc tank is being pointed in the right direction on the Champs Elysees. The tank is named after General Philippe Leclerc, considered a national hero for his actions in World War II.

French Bastille Day celebrations Flying high Former French Jet Ski champion Franky Zapata flew above the Paris streets on the Flyboard Air he invented. The 2016 Guinness Book of Records awarded Zapata its title for longest hoverboard flight. He went almost 2.3 kilometres before landing.

French Bastille Day celebrations Troops and defense spending France has a defense budget of around $40.5 billion (€35.8 billion) with cyberdefense a major area of focus. It has a total military personnel of some 380,000 with 200,000 of them active, and 180,000 reservists. Author: John Silk



Focus on joint European defense

Macron wanted to showcase European military prowess at this year's national French celebration. European leaders are under pressure to boost their military ties amid growing rifts with Washington and Britain's looming exit from the European Union.

On Saturday, Macron had issued a statement heralding a new national military space force command from September. The president said space has become a "true national security issue" due to increased spending and interest in the area from the United States, India, China and Russia.

Merkel was among the dignitaries who stood to review the troops passing in Paris

"Never since the end of World War II has Europe been so important," Macron said in a statement to mark July 14.

"The construction of a Europe of defense, in connection with the Atlantic alliance whose 70th anniversary we are celebrating, is a priority for France," the president added.

Macron said that the aim of the EI2 was to "act together and reinforce our capacity to act together," adding: "Our security and our defense pass through Europe."

Read more: Opinion: We must strengthen European defense together

Air force jets fly over the Champs-Elysees on Bastille Day in Paris

What is EI2?

In November 2018, defense ministers from 10 European countries gathered in Paris to set the agenda for the EI2, which is spearheaded by President Macron.

"To face new threats, Europe needs a strong defense," the French Defense Ministry said in a tweet after the meeting. "With the European Intervention Initiative, 10 European countries are committed to its protection."

EI2's goal is to create a results-based common strategic culture that allows for rapid response joint military operations, including in humanitarian efforts. As such, it is not aimed at establishing a supranational European army. However, as an initiative outside EU and NATO frameworks, the French Defense Ministry has tried to alleviate concerns that it would undermine defense structures in the bloc and alliance.

Watch video 00:42 Maas: 'We need a true European security and defense union'

"With the European Intervention Initiative, the whole European Union and the European pillar in NATO will also be strengthened," it added.

But France's efforts have done little to placate concerns in Berlin, which Paris sees as a pivotal actor in the initiative.

Claudia Major, senior international security associate at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), told DW that German officials are wary because "it's explicitly and deliberately organized and set up outside the European Union's structures."

"For the Germans, making a deliberate attempt to set up something meaningful outside the EU's structures — and outside NATO — is not seen as a positive move but rather as undermining the EU," Major said.

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shs/tj (AFP, dpa)