Merz visits UK as Europe closes ranks in face of threats
BERLIN/LONDON - Friedrich Merz embarks on his first trip to London as German chancellor on Thursday to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and sign a wide-ranging friendship treaty, as part of a broader push to reset the EU's relationship with Britain.
Merz's day trip comes a week after a three-day state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, signaling greater cooperation between Europe's three top powers at a time of growing threats to the continent and uncertainty about their U.S. ally.
Europe is facing trade tensions with the United States since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House as well as existential questions about Washington's commitment to helping defend its European allies, including Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.
"The agreement comes at a time when, as Europeans, we are particularly challenged in terms of security policy," a German government official said in a briefing ahead of the trip.
"Not stated in the preamble is that transatlantic matters are also — let's put it this way — in flux. This too is part of the context."
Germany has such friendship treaties with just a handful of countries like France, symbolizing the closeness of their ties.
Coming nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the treaty includes a clause on mutual assistance which, "in light of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, is highly significant", the official said.
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It builds on a defence deal agreed last year that included the joint development of long-range strike weapons, and comes after France and Britain agreed last week to reinforce cooperation over their respective nuclear arsenals.
German defence tech company Stark on Wednesday announced a new factory in Britain, the first production facility outside of Germany, to create AI-powered unmanned systems.
The treaty will include an agreement to jointly combat smuggling and human trafficking, the German official said.
The British government said Germany would make a landmark commitment to outlaw the facilitation of illegal migration to Britain with a law change to be adopted by the end of the year.
That would give law enforcement the tools to investigate warehouses and storage facilities used by migrant smugglers to conceal dangerous small boats intended for illegal crossings to Britain, it said in a statement. REUTERS
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