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The 14th of July air show will include several European fixtures, like this German NH90. Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

The theme of the 14-July parade will be "Acting together". More than 4,000 soldiers will parade this Sunday on the Champs-Elysees for a ceremony this year under the banner of European cooperation.

It will be the "red thread" of this parade on July 14th. In the face of Brexit and the relaxation of transatlantic ties, Europe of defense is one of Emmanuel Macron's favorite themes. " Never since the end of the Second World War has Europe been so necessary. The construction of a Europe of defense, in connection with the Atlantic Alliance which we are celebrating 70 years, is for France a priority, "explains the head of state in the press kit devoted to the national holiday .

A parade of 4,300 soldiers on foot

The nine countries participating alongside France in the European intervention initiative , wanted by the French president to foster a common strategic culture with a view to future commitments, will thus be represented: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Their emblems will open the parade.

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The European Rapid Reaction Corps, the Franco-German Brigade or the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM) will also be represented. In total, some 4,300 men and women on foot, 196 vehicles and 237 horses will descend the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Europe of defense will also be represented in the air show. Among the 67 aircraft and 40 helicopters surrounding the procession will be a German A400M transport aircraft, a Spanish C130 and two British Chinooks. These huge transport helicopters are being made available for Operation Barkhane in the Sahel, where the United Kingdom has just extended its commitment until 2020.

A dozen European leaders

To celebrate this European cooperation, were invited to the military parade and a lunch at the Elysee a dozen European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. British Prime Minister Theresa May will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister David Lidington.

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While 100 years ago, the parade of victory was opened by the "broken jaws" of the First World War, this Sunday will be closed by the wounded in foreign operations. " They will be present first around the standard of the National Institution of the Disabled. For the occasion, the guard of this standard will be made up of wounded of the old generations to which will be added wounded young people ", specifies the general Bruno Leray, military governor of Paris.

They will be accompanied by twenty teenagers who have passed the National Universal Service (SNU), another project dear to President Emmanuel Macron.

► To read: 100 years ago, the "parade of victory" told by a teenager