‘First of its kind ever’: Starmer, Merz sign ‘historic’ treaty to bolster British-German relations
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘First of its kind ever’: Starmer, Merz sign ‘historic’ treaty to bolster British-German relations")
‘First of its kind ever’: Starmer, Merz sign ‘historic’ treaty to bolster British-German relations Photograph: (AFP)
The two nations are expected to commit to greater cooperation on joint military and training exercises and working together to combat cyber threats and information warfare.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday (Jul 17) signed a “first of its kind ever” agreement aimed at bolstering defence exports, targeting smuggling gangs, and reinforcing UK-Germany trade relations. Merz marked his first formal visit to the UK since taking office in May on what he described as a “historic day for German-British relations.” This comes as Starmer works to improve strained relations with his European neighbours after the UK’s exit from the EU in 2020.
“We want to work together more closely, particularly after the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. It is overdue for us to conclude such a treaty with each other,” the German chancellor said.
Starmer called the Kensington Treaty “the first of its kind ever”, describing it as a “statement of intent, a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together.” The deal marks the first between the two nations since the Second World War. It includes a commitment from Berlin to make facilitating the smuggling of migrants to the UK a criminal offence.
According to a statement from Downing Street, the law change will give German authorities more power to probe and take action against warehouses and storage facilities used by smugglers to hide small boats for Channel crossings. The law is expected to be passed by the end of the year.
“Chancellor Merz’s commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome,” Starmer said.
The treaty builds on a defence pact signed by the UK and Germany last year, which pledges closer co-operation against a growing threat from Russia. The two nations are among the biggest European supporters of Ukraine. The two leaders also discussed ways to boost European support for Ukraine.
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The two nations are expected to commit to greater cooperation on joint military and training exercises and working together to combat cyber threats and information warfare. The treaty also aims to boost economic cooperation between the UK and Germany. It also includes cooperation in science and technology initiatives and support for student exchange programmes and education schemes.
