[ad_1]
BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) – British and German leaders agreed in Berlin on Wednesday to an ambitious treaty covering issues from defence to trade that will be part of a reset of Britain’s relationship with the European Union.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting two EU powerhouses, Germany and France, in an effort to help Britain move beyond the fractious relations between its previous Conservative government and its European allies. Starmer, who took office last month, has made improving ties a central part of boosting British economic growth.
He called the new cooperation treaty a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for the benefit of working people in Britain and Germany” because it would deepen cooperation between the two countries in science, technology, business and culture while increasing trade.
Starmer said growth was his government’s “number one priority”.
“We are well aware that building relationships with partners in Germany and across Europe is critical to achieving this goal,” he said.
Starmer told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that a reset would not mean reversing Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2020 under the Conservative Party, nor would it mean rejoining the EU single market or customs union.
“But it does mean closer ties in a number of areas including the economy, defence and exchanges,” he said.
Scholz said Germany hopes to grasp this outstretched hand.
He said: “The UK has always been integral to solving the big problems that affect the whole of Europe. That has not changed since Brexit.”
Britain and Germany said in a joint statement they hoped to sign a cooperation treaty in government consultations “early next year”. They said defence ministers were also working on a new defence agreement to be signed after a joint defence declaration in July.
However, any efforts to improve trade properly would risk infringing on EU rules and could only happen at the margins, said Stephen Hunsaker, a trade researcher at the British think tank Changing Europe.
The Trump factor
Britain and Germany, NATO allies and Western Europe’s largest defense spenders, are looking for ways to deepen defense cooperation as the United States is likely to reduce its military support for Ukraine if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.
The Republican presidential candidate warned that if elected he would fundamentally rethink “NATO’s purpose and mission.” He also did not commit to further aid to Ukraine and said he would not defend allies that did not increase their defense budgets. Trump is in a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election.
Concerns have been growing that the United States could reduce its support for Ukraine since Trump picked JD Vance as his running mate. Vance has stressed his opposition to “blank checks” from the United States to help Ukraine against Russia.
Officials say the Anglo-German defence partnership could be similar to the 2010 Lancaster House agreement between Britain and France, which pledged to create joint forces and share equipment and nuclear missile research centres.
Starmer also said the two countries would deepen cooperation on common social challenges such as people smuggling and agreed to develop a joint action plan to combat illegal immigration.
Starmer will travel to Paris on Wednesday evening for the opening ceremony of the Paralympics and on Thursday meet with executives from companies including Thales, Eutelsat, Mistral AI and Sanofi. He will also hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
[ad_2]
Source link
