British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took advantage of a meeting with around 40 European leaders in England on Thursday to relaunch relations between the United Kingdom and the continent, insisting on support for Ukraine and the fight against illegal immigration.
“We want to work with each of you to restore our relationships, rediscover our common interest and renew the bonds of trust and friendship that are the fabric of European life,” Mr Starmer said at the opening of the meeting at Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill’s birthplace northwest of London.
This fourth summit of the European Political Community (EPC), which is also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is also an opportunity for Europeans to close ranks around Ukraine, in the face of the uncertainty posed by a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House in a few months.
“It is very important to maintain unity in Europe, because unity always allows for strong decisions,” Zelensky said on his arrival at Blenheim Palace. In this regard, he criticised, without naming him, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was also present at Blenheim and who claimed to be leading a “peace mission” during trips to Moscow and Beijing, while his country had just taken over the rotating presidency of the EU but without the approval of Brussels.
“If someone tries to solve problems behind other people’s backs or even at someone else’s expense […] “Why should we take this person into account?” the Ukrainian president asked his European colleagues.
kyiv also took advantage of this summit to announce the signing of new security cooperation agreements with the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
Support for kyiv and democracy, energy security and immigration are the main topics of discussion among these 47 leaders of European countries, from Germany to San Marino, via France, Moldova and Kosovo.
” Seize the opportunity “
Having come to power on July 5, Labour’s Keir Starmer had said before the meeting that he wanted to “seize the opportunity to renew our relationship with Europe”, after friction with previous Conservative governments since Brexit.
He rushed on Thursday to congratulate Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on her re-election for a new term – which prevented her from attending the summit – saying he was ready to “work closely” with the EU.
Like his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer also intends to defend stronger cooperation against illegal immigration in Europe. He has promised to fight the people smugglers who allow thousands of migrants to arrive in the United Kingdom via the Channel.
Pressed on the subject upon his arrival at Blenheim Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s commitment to “constantly improving the situation”.
“There is no magic wand, because we know the situation. We are doing our best, we have improved the situation in recent years, and we will continue our efforts,” he told reporters.
Support for Moldova
This “redefinition” of relations with Europe advocated by the new Labour government is rather favourably received in Brussels, which is nevertheless waiting to know the details of what the new British executive will propose, recalling that there is no question of “reopening” discussions on the Brexit agreements.
Born in October 2022 from an idea of President Macron and in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EPC informally brings together the 27 members of the EU and other countries of the continent in a spirit of dialogue on security and stability issues.
For the first time, leaders of NATO, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have been invited to this summit, the fourth after Prague (Czech Republic), Chisinau (Moldova) and Granada (Spain).
On the sidelines of the planned meetings, a meeting brought together, around Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Charles Michel and Keir Starmer. The European leaders showed their support for this country, neighboring Ukraine, which has just started its accession negotiations with the EU, but is concerned about Russian interference in its domestic politics.