Latest news with #friendship treaty
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
UK and Germany sign friendship pact, deepening ties amid threats
Friedrich Merz is on his first trip to London as Germany's chancellor. (AP pic) LONDON : Britain and Germany signed a wide-ranging friendship treaty today, deepening ties in areas ranging from defence to transport, to mark Friedrich Merz's first trip to London as chancellor, the latest visit to help reset UK ties with the EU. 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 US ally. 'This is a historic day for German-British relations,' Merz said at the signing ceremony in the Victoria and Albert museum, co-founded by Britain's Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, of German origin. 'We want to deepen our cooperation in the field of defence, in foreign policy, but also in economic and domestic policy.' Coming nearly a decade after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the treaty is, on the one hand, a sign of the normalisation of German-British relations, said Nicolai von Ondarza at Berlin's SWP think-tank. 'On the other hand, the treaty is a sign that the UK has become even more important as a security partner due to transatlantic uncertainty.' Europe has been confronted with new US tariffs since president Donald Trump returned to the White House as well as questions about the US commitment to defend its European allies, including Ukraine against Russia's invasion. The treaty includes a clause on mutual assistance which, 'in light of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, is highly significant', a German official said earlier this week. 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. Deeper defence As part of today's announcement, Britain and Germany pledged to 'pursue joint export campaigns' to drum up orders from other countries for equipment they make jointly, such as the Typhoon Eurofighter jet and the Boxer armoured vehicle. That could help boost sales, and represents a significant reversal from the previous 10 years, when Germany blocked Saudi Arabia and Turkey from buying Typhoons. Typhoons are made by a consortium of European companies, including BAE Systems in Britain and Airbus in Germany, with the different partner governments responsible for orders to different countries; the Boxer is made by a German-British joint venture, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land. Further deepening ties, a German defence tech company, Stark, has also agreed to build a new factory in Britain, the first production facility outside of Germany, to create AI-powered unmanned systems. Beyond defence, the treaty also includes an agreement to develop a new direct rail link between the two countries and to jointly combat irregular migration, part of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's push to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving in Britain to try to fend off the populist Reform UK party. Germany pledged to outlaw the facilitation of illegal migration to Britain, with a law change 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.
The National
6 days ago
- Business
- The National
Germany's Merz and UK's Starmer seal security pact in first summit meeting
Britain and Germany signed a wide-ranging friendship treaty on Thursday as the European giants sought to deepen institutional ties in areas from defence and security to transport. At a press conference at an Airbus factory, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he wanted to tackle illegal immigration through co-operation between the UK, Germany and France. He said the three countries were 'converging' on policy matters such as migration and security. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was 'very grateful' to Mr Merz for planned changes to German law to criminalise facilitating the smuggling of migrants to the UK. More than 20,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, having travelled across Europe first. Mr Starmer said: "For a long time, I've been very concerned about the fact that engines, in particular, but component parts of the boats that are being used are travelling through and being stored in Germany, but they can't be seized because the law didn't accommodate for a country which had left the EU and therefore needed to be amended. 'We've discussed this at great length on a number of occasions, he's [Mr Merz is] now going to change the law, introduce the necessary legislation, so that we can intervene in that place.' Earlier, Mr Starmer hailed the 'closeness' of the UK and Germany, as the two nations signed a treaty set to free up school exchange visits and passport e-gates. Signed alongside Mr Merz, the deal is to be known as the Kensington Treaty. At the ceremony at the V&A Museum in London, Mr Starmer said they will look to 'work ever more closely' on issues such as trade, security and defence. The countries promised to pursue 'deep exchanges' on security issues such as arms policy, and chemical biological radiological and nuclear threats as well as counter-terror and space security. A direct rail link between London and Berlin will also be explored. The treaty comes as part of a wider visit by Mr Merz as No 10 Downing Street launched investments by defence firms and specialist technology developers. An official said of the bilateral treaty: 'The leaders reflected on the importance of the treaty in demonstrating the UK and Germany's status as the closest of strategic partners and celebrated the opportunity to deepen ties, tackle shared challenges and invest in shared strengths together." Mr Merz said he had been 'surprised' to learn that the agreement was the first UK-Germany treaty since the Second World War. 'Finalising a treaty like this with each other is overdue,' he said. 'We had you in the European Union and we thought that was enough but we are now learning that it's not enough so we have to do more on that.' A new long-range missile system – the Deep Precision Strike capability – is on the drawing board to be delivered in the next decade, the UK government said. It will have a range of more than 2,000 kilometres and the participants hope it will help boost the UK and European defence sectors through 'significant industrial investment.' There was also a target set for the establishment of direct train links between Britain and Germany. And London was pleased to land new commitments on tackling people smuggling, with Germany promising new laws that make facilitating the smuggling of migrants to the UK a criminal offence. Mr Merz is expected to commit to adopting the law change by the end of the year and No 10 described the move as a 'significant step'. The two leaders addressed the situation in the Middle East, declaring the conflict in Gaza unacceptable. "They underlined the urgent need for a ceasefire and the return of all hostages, to pave the way for a two-state solution and a secure future for Palestinians and Israelis," a British spokesman said.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Germany closing small-boat loophole in new treaty with UK
& Elizabeth Piper Britain and Germany signed a wide-ranging friendship treaty, marking German chancellor Friedrich Merz 's first visit to London and aiming to deepen bilateral ties. The treaty builds on recent efforts to reset UK- EU relations, following French president Emmanuel Macron 's visit, and signals increased cooperation among Europe's leading powers. Key areas of cooperation include defence, with pledges for joint export campaigns of military equipment and a new German defence tech factory in Britain. The agreement also covers transport, including a new direct rail link, and joint efforts to combat irregular migration, with Germany committing to outlaw facilitation of illegal crossings. Germany pledged to outlaw the facilitation of illegal migration to Britain, with a law change that would give law enforcement the ability to investigate warehouses where small boats are stored.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Merz visits UK as Europe closes ranks in face of threats
BERLIN/LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - 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. 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.
