British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with German Chancellor on Wednesday, August 28th, to discuss a landmark economic and defense agreement, hoping to revive the UK’s relationships with other European countries through this visit.
Prior to embarking on a two-day trip to Germany and France, Starmer expressed his hope to move away from the tense relationship the previous Conservative government had with European allies and to make improving these relationships a core element in driving UK’s economic growth.
While in Berlin, Starmer will hold talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on a new agreement aimed at boosting business and trade, enhancing defense and security cooperation, and strengthening joint efforts to combat illegal immigration.
Starmer stated in a released statement, “We have a rare opportunity to reshape our relationship with Europe and strive to build a true ambitious partnership for the prosperity of the British people.”
He pledged to “mend the fractured relationships left by the previous government” and said, “This endeavor began at last month’s European Political Community summit, and I am determined to continue this work, which is why I am visiting Germany and France this week.”
Both the UK and Germany are NATO allies and are the biggest defense spenders in Western Europe. With the possibility of the next U.S. government reducing military support to Ukraine, the two countries are looking for ways to strengthen defense cooperation.
Starmer highlighted, “Strengthening our relationships with these countries is crucial, not only to address global illegal immigration issues but also to promote economic growth across the entire European continent, particularly the UK’s economic growth, which is a key mission for my government.”
UK officials previously mentioned that the UK-German defense partnership could be similar to the Lancaster House Treaties signed by the UK and France in 2010, where both countries committed to establishing a joint force, sharing equipment, and collaborating on nuclear missile research.
The Prime Minister’s office announced that negotiations between the UK and Germany will continue over the next 6 months in a bid to finalize the agreement by early next year.
“The new UK-German treaty will be a key pillar in rebuilding European relationships for the UK,” the Prime Minister’s office said. “Both parties aim to achieve a new cooperative relationship by early 2025. This ambitious agreement is expected to enhance cooperation in critical areas such as market access, key science, innovation and technology, clean energy, cross-North Sea trade, supply chain resilience, energy security, green transition education, biodiversity, and the environment.”
“Never before have the UK and Germany reached such a comprehensive treaty,” the Prime Minister’s office added.
During his visit to Germany, Starmer will also meet with business leaders, including a meeting with the CEO of German defense giant Rheinmetal, Armin Papperger.
Earlier reports suggested that U.S. intelligence agencies had learned of a Russian plot to assassinate Papperger and conveyed this information to Germany to provide protection for him. However, Russia dismissed these reports as fake news.
Furthermore, Starmer will meet with the CEO of Siemens Energy, Christian Bruch, to discuss further investment and the creation of more high-skilled job opportunities. The company employs around 6,000 workers in the UK.
After the meetings in Germany, Starmer will head to Paris on Wednesday evening to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games and hold breakfast meetings on Thursday with executives from Thales, the largest satellite manufacturing company in Europe, Mistral AI, a French tech startup, and French pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
Following these engagements, Starmer will meet with the Paralympic athletes in preparation and then hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.