Morning opening: Bastille Day
More than 300 vehicles and 6,500 soldiers are scheduled to parade along the Champs-Élysées in central Paris this morning as part of the Bastille Day celebrations, intended to "send a strategic signal" regarding France and Europe's renewed military focus.
The parade emphasizes international cooperation, featuring 500 troops from countries participating in the Coalition of the Willing, including Germany, alongside 25 soldiers from .
This marks President Emmanuel Macron's tenth and final Bastille Day parade before the presidential election next year. The event hosts a distinguished guest list, with many leaders remaining in Paris overnight following recent talks on Ukraine, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The parade commences at 10am local time (9am BST), with live coverage and updates provided.
In parallel, developments are anticipated from Brussels concerning the accession talks of Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine with the European Union.
Marta Kos, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, described the day as a "Super Tuesday."
"In the for more than two decades, we have not had four accession conferences in one day, and this will happen today," she said.
Montenegro leads the candidates with over half of the "clusters" closed, according to Kos, while all four countries are progressing well in implementing the required reforms.
Updates on these negotiations will be provided throughout the day.
It is Tuesday, 14 July 2026, and Jakub Krupa is reporting for Europe Live.
The parade also includes members of the firefighter brigade, whose presence is particularly significant this year due to the severe wildfires recently affecting the country.
A notable fire in Fontainebleau, a historic royal hunting preserve approximately 40 miles (60km) from Paris, began late Sunday afternoon. The blaze, unusual for its proximity to the capital, has consumed about 800 hectares (2,000 acres) of forest as of last night.
Julien Gondard, mayor of Fontainebleau, expressed his shock and frustration.
"This exceptional area is consumed by flames, we’ve never seen anything like this," he told local TV station ICI Paris Île-de-France. "The forest is fragile and it’s in a critical condition."
The June heatwaves that affected the region were deemed "virtually impossible" without the influence of climate change, according to the World Weather Attribution group of scientists.
Human-induced climate change is intensifying globally, leading to more frequent and severe disasters such as heatwaves and wildfires.
The images from these events remain striking and impactful.
France marks Bastille Day with military parade in Paris - in pictures
Ukrainian troops march down Champs-Élysées as part of Bastille Day parade - in pictures
Viewers are reminded that live coverage of the parade is available.
The multinational battalion stationed in Estonia, including the French 3rd Marine Artillery Regiment among others, is also represented.
Troops from Coalition of the Willing march down Champs-Élysées
The Coalition of the Willing troops are now marching along the Champs-Élysées.
Leading the formation are flags of Albania and Australia, with other nations represented including Austria, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
A contingent of Ukrainian soldiers marches at the end, saluting the dignitaries and receiving warm applause.
President Macron, President Zelenskyy, and other leaders observe the parade from the tribune.
Patrouille de France fly over Champs-Élysées
The Patrouille de France aerobatic team is currently performing a flyover above the Champs-Élysées, releasing colored vapors that form the French flag.
They are accompanied by two Mirage 2000 aircraft piloted by French pilots, alongside Ukrainian pilots undergoing training with the French air force.
Following them are aircraft from the French and allied forces, including a large plane equipped with an AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) radar.
Bastille Day parade's guest list shows evolution of Macron's thinking - snap analysis
As President Macron ascends the honorary tribune alongside other attending leaders, an observation can be made regarding the symbolism of this final parade compared to his first in 2017.
In 2017, Macron sought to impress then newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump, who was the guest of honour. The French army band even performed Daft Punk’s "Get Lucky" to appeal to the US president.
Ten years later, Macron's last parade features predominantly European leaders such as Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and former European Council President Donald Tusk, signaling Europe's resurgence as a global power.
The Élysée Palace described the parade as:
"a powerful symbol of Europe that is becoming aware of how dangerous the world is and that it must take its destiny into its own hands".
While Macron is well into the final year of his presidency, this event likely holds personal significance as he participates in this ceremony for the last time in his current role.
