Five years without a Franco-British summit, five years of disputes with Theresa May and Boris Johnson, tensions over fishing licenses, vaccines, migrants in the English Channel, not to mention the humiliating military betrayal of the AUKUS alliance which ousted France from the contract for Australian submarines… We can never say enough about the misdeeds of Brexit on the relationship between Paris and London, this old couple who have seen so many others over time.
To turn this fatal page, Emmanuel Macron receives Friday Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, who seems much better disposed towards him than his predecessors. The two men don't know each other well. This is the first time that they will take the time to discuss in depth the worrying issues that de facto bring the two nations closer together: the war in Ukraine, the prospect of a long confrontation with Russia, Chinese threats in the Indo-Pacific, which the two fleets cross, sometimes together. This visit by the Prime Minister precedes by two weeks the visit of King Charles III and the Queen Consort, to Paris and Bordeaux from March 26 to 29. That is to say if the atmosphere is one of reconciliation and projection into the future.
For this 36th summit between the two countries, a final declaration is being prepared, which should list new cooperation, particularly in the military field. Without reproducing the Lancaster Treaty, "we retie the threads, we put things in order, we prepare for the future", we confide to the Élysée. The recent agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Charles III over Northern Ireland has clearly eased the tension. Confidence, still fragile, deserves to be consolidated by this type of summit.
If the French married the Germans (and the Spaniards) for the combat aircraft of the future (the SCAF), and the tank of the future, the British are joining forces with Italy, Sweden and Japan to create their own aircraft of the future, the Tempest. It should therefore be noted that the Europeans have divided themselves instead of building together... This is to say that the Europe of defense is a complex project.
In this cluttered landscape, there is still a little room for bilateral, Franco-British cooperation in the field of anti-ship cruise missiles via the MBDA company. "Work continues on this file and we will reach a decision point in September," said the Elysee.
Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron will discuss Vladimir Putin's latest announcements, namely the suspension of Russia's participation in the START Treaty. “It is still the last instrument of nuclear arms control that existed, which impacts our security to all, we note in the entourage of the French president. In addition, the Russian President said that consideration should be given in the future to accounting for the armaments, the French and British arsenals, something to which we are of course, and constantly, completely opposed because, contrary to the vast American and Russian arsenals, our arsenals are based on the known principles of strict sufficiency, and therefore have nothing to do with all that. »
France and the United Kingdom are not signatories of the START treaty and do not feel concerned. The Russian president also called on his forces to be ready to resume nuclear weapons testing despite a treaty banning them. France and the United Kingdom should remind Russia to respect its commitments. While the UK has left the EU, it has still joined the European Political Community, whose second summit will be held in Moldova in October. Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak should work to give some substance to this framework supposedly dedicated to the geopolitics of the continent.
Nuclear power, civil this time, is also a common issue between the two countries, with the two projects Hinckley Point (near Bridgewater) and Sizewell C (planned since 2008). Since Germany is turning its back on nuclear, France and the United Kingdom should reaffirm their commitment to this sector as a means of decarbonizing energy. “There is operational strategic cooperation on operation, on nuclear safety, which is notched in this partnership, we underline at the Élysée. But more generally, it is a question of looking at how, once again, we use nuclear energy for decarbonization. »
The summit choreography involves seven ministers from both sides, as well as a few companies that will announce cross-investments between the two countries. The bilateral meeting between the two heads of the executive will last between thirty and forty-five minutes. Also present will be the respective employer representations and the UK-France Business Forum. The summit reserves a part to the meeting with the youth, the Franco-British Young Leaders.
The working lunch will bring together the ministers, the president and the prime minister. Each tandem of ministers will report on the bilateral cooperation and present the finalized projects which will be included in the final declaration. Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak will hold a press conference around 3 p.m. on Friday.
