Germany, and the UK hailed a major treaty to deepen ties in many areas ranging from defence to immigration. It's the latest push from Britain to reset relations with the European Union after Brexit in 2020. It comes after a recent treaty between France and the UK was signed last week.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signed the Kensington treaty on Thursday (17 July) - the first formal UK-Germany agreement since WWII. The treaty outlines cooperation on migration, defence technology, trade, and education, including school exchanges as well as a rail link for a London–Berlin line .
Though Merz “deeply deplores” Brexit, he emphasized the importance of including the UK in European security efforts during growing threats from Russia and uncertainty over the U.S.’s NATO role.
Merz also said that the recent agreement between the UK and France should be extended to include Germany, creating a more unified approach to tackling irregular migration and urges for a trilateral agreement.
Merz's day trip follows a three-day state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron, signalling greater cooperation between Europe's top three powers at a time of threats to the continent and uncertainty about their U.S. ally.
"The cooperation between the United Kingdom and France … has to be complemented by an agreement that we aim to achieve between the three of us: UK, Germany, France,” Merz stated.
Starmer supported this, describing the pact as “a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together.”
"We see the scale of the challenges our continent faces today, and we intend to meet them head on," Starmer said.
This aligns the UK more closely with Europe’s largest powers on critical security and migration challenges intensified by the Ukraine war.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 18th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The UK and Germany have signed a landmark treaty that includes plans for a direct rail connection between London and Berlin, aimed at boosting travel and trade between the two countries.
The UK government plans to lower the voting age to 16, enabling approximately 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the next general election.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made his first official visit to London on Thursday to sign a comprehensive friendship treaty with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, aiming to reset post-Brexit ties between Britain and the European Union.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Germany's export slump since 2021 is largely driven by deep-rooted competitiveness issues, the Bundesbank warned in its latest report, calling for urgent structural reforms.
Israeli researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence tool that can determine a person’s true biological age from tiny DNA samples with remarkable precision.
Two Harry Potter actresses, Emma Watson and Zoe Wanamaker, have each received a six-month driving ban after separate speeding offences, both sentenced on the same day at a Buckinghamshire court.
Amid rising calls for transparency over Jeffrey Epstein’s case, the U.S. House narrowly passed a $9 billion spending rollback, deepening divisions ahead of budget talks.
The European Union has approved a powerful new set of sanctions against Russia, banning imports from the Nord Stream pipelines and tightening limits on oil exports.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has sharply criticised the European Commission’s proposed budget, warning it could lead to the EU’s collapse.
More than 5,000 people in South Korea have taken refuge in shelters as relentless rainfall continues to batter parts of the country for a third consecutive day, resulting in at least four deaths and significant damage to infrastructure, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Friday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 18th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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