Scholz and Macron Hold Successive Summits
NATO 'Close Cooperation' in Preparation for Trump's Return
The UK Labour Party government, which took power for the first time in 14 years, is swiftly overturning existing Conservative Party policies, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer is working to restore the strained relationship with the European Union (EU).
According to major foreign media including the BBC on the 27th (local time), Prime Minister Starmer plans to meet consecutively with the leaders of Germany and France, the EU's dual engines, over two days starting on the 28th to promote enhanced cooperation.
On the first day of the tour, he is scheduled to hold a summit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz focusing on defense, energy, and trade. The defense cooperation targeted by both countries is expected to be on par with the Lancaster House Agreement signed by the UK and France in 2010. Once this agreement, aiming for a joint declaration in July next year, is finalized, the two countries will establish joint forces and share military equipment and nuclear missile research centers.
After the meeting with Chancellor Scholz, he will meet with business magnates including Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, Germany's largest defense contractor, to discuss investment attraction and job creation plans. After concluding the German schedule, he plans to travel to France to attend the opening ceremony of the Paris Summer Paralympics. Subsequently, he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the ?lys?e Palace to discuss European issues and bilateral cooperation measures.
Having succeeded in a regime change for the first time in 14 years, Labour leader Starmer is now in a position where he must demonstrate that he is different from the previous Conservative government by revitalizing the UK economy. For him, Germany, the largest economy in Europe and accounting for 8.5% of UK trade, is an indispensable client. German companies, including Siemens, which is responsible for one-sixth of global energy production, are known to create more than 330,000 jobs in the UK.
France is also the UK's fourth-largest trading partner, making the restoration of relations essential. Earlier, Starmer stated in a press release, "We must overcome the Brexit hurdle and rectify the botched relationship left by the previous government," adding, "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has come to rebuild relations with Europe."
In particular, strengthening military cooperation between the UK and Germany is also significant in complementing the functions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a security alliance formed on the principle of collective defense. For the UK and Germany, which have the highest defense expenditures in NATO, the return of former President Donald Trump to the White House could be a negative factor. If Trump, who pressured NATO allies to increase defense spending, returns to power, it is expected that support for Ukraine will be halted, adversely affecting European security.
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