British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – Ansa
Not Brussels but Berlin. It is the European capital chosen by the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, as the first stop on the journey which, this is the promise, will allow the United Kingdom to “turn the page on Brexit”. The second is Paris. A sort of “piecemeal Brexit”
The trip to the Continent came less than two months after the new Labour government took office. Conservative Rishi Sunak, the prime minister whom Starmer replaced, had taken more than a year to set foot in the European Union. Lightning timing for high expectations. “We now have a unique opportunity to restore relations with Europe that were damaged by the previous government,” he said on the eve of his departure, and «aim for authentic partnerships and ambitious ones that bring benefits to our people.” The first will be with Germany.
The joint statement following the face-to-face meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the subsequent press conference speaks of a “bilateral cooperation treaty” to be finalized “by the beginning of next year”, on peace and defense, on economic and industrial development, on energy security and environmental policies, on education and cultural exchanges, on irregular immigrationintelligence and the fight against human trafficking. A broad set of common objectives that, for the moment, does not include the youth mobility programs that many European countries are interested in, looking for alternative solutions to Erasmus, from which the United Kingdom has withdrawn, to start sending students and young workers across the Channel to learn English again.
Many have noticed the “left wing” complicity between Starmer and Scholz definitivelymutually, “good friends” and “trusted allies”. Both, it must be said, need to relaunch their respective economies and leadership. The first is preparing to launch a “painful” financial maneuver; the second is already in electoral gear in view of next year’s consultations. The operation of their agreement will however have to be in accordance with the membership of the Germany to the EU and Brexit. The British Prime Minister had to clarify that he does not intend to cancel the divorce from the EU or start the procedures to bring London back into the single market. His strategy is to reset relations with the “club of 27” by negotiating, this is what his latest moves suggest, individual agreements with individual countries. Today he will be in France for talks with President Emmanuel Macron, who he joined last night on the Champs Elysees at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, and with the bosses of companies across the Alps. such as Thales, Eutelsat, Mistral AI and Sanofi. SAccording to insiders, Starmer’s collaboration with the “heavyweight” European governments could be useful to him in clearing away any obstacles in the path that, in the future, could lead him to ask for further post-Brexit concessions from Brussels which, once upon a time, criticized British “lobbyism” in the continent’s chancelleries. Has he changed his mind?
