The finance ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland -- the "E6" -- agreed at a Berlin mini-summit on the outline of a "Savings and Investment Union" meant to turn the EU into a market that can rival Wall Street and the City of London. The plan would upgrade the European Securities and Markets Authority into a single bloc-wide supervisor and channel some of the EUR11 trillion that EU households hold in cash savings into the economy. The six must now win at least nine more governments before presenting the deal to all EU finance ministers on June 12, with Ireland, Luxembourg and Cyprus already wary of a "two-speed Europe."

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Friday chaired the first interministerial committee on organized crime and told ministers their proposals were "technical and insufficient," demanding a "change of scale" in the fight against drug trafficking. The meeting came amid a surge in drug-related murders and growing involvement of minors as victims or perpetrators. Lecornu said Matignon will take a leading role and that Education Minister Édouard Geffray will be a frontline participant.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot publicly called Xenia Fedorova, a Russian commentator on Bolloré-owned media (CNews, Europe 1), a "patented propagandist" serving Vladimir Putin's disinformation. Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada defended her presence as freedom of expression. Fedorova, former head of RT France, regularly promotes Kremlin positions. The incident highlights tensions over Russian influence in French media.

The French Senate's commission of inquiry into private financing of public policies will hear billionaire Pierre-Édouard Stérin, founder of Smartbox and president of the Fonds du bien commun, via videoconference on June 4. Stérin had twice refused to appear before a similar National Assembly commission in 2025. The inquiry, initiated by the Socialist group, examines risks of influence, lack of transparency, and threats to democracy from private actors funding public policies.

French company Aura Aero, through its defense subsidiary Aura M, will present the definitive design of the Enbata MALE drone at Eurosatory 2026. The drone is 100% ITAR-free, has a 55-hour endurance, and is intended for intelligence, surveillance, maritime patrol, electronic warfare, and anti-drone missions. First flight is expected in autumn 2026.

The French Army hosted its first International Drone Challenge at Chaumont-Semoutiers airbase, bringing together nearly 50 teams from eight NATO members (Belgium, Denmark, Spain, US, Italy, UK, Poland, and Luxembourg as observer) to compete in FPV drone racing and simulated strike missions. The event showcased the rapid adoption of FPV drone tactics inspired by the war in Ukraine, where such drones now account for 60% of Russian losses. Participants exchanged tactics, equipment innovations, and training methods, highlighting varying levels of NATO readiness—some nations had only months of FPV experience. French teams secured the top two positions, with a British team taking third place and Belgium also performing well.