PRESS RELEASE : Statement by the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Enhancing Strategic Cooperation [October 2024]
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 2 October 2024.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen released a joint statement today.
The President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom met today and agreed to strengthen the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
They agreed on the shared challenges facing the European Union and the United Kingdom including the altered strategic context for the wider continent notably resulting from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. They reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The leaders agreed the UK and European Union would also continue to work closely to address wider global challenges including economic headwinds, geopolitical competition, irregular migration, climate change and energy prices, which pose fundamental challenges to the shared values of the United Kingdom and the European Union and provide the strategic driver for stronger cooperation.
The leaders reflected on the events in the Middle East overnight and condemned the egregious attack by Iran on Israel. They recognised Israel’s right to self-defence in the face of this unacceptable aggression. De-escalation by all parties in the region was of the upmost importance. They reiterated the need to coordinate the diplomatic response to the situation in the Middle East and called on all sides to show restraint and end the bloodshed. An immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza was required to create the space to allow for political solutions, the leaders underlined.
They agreed on the importance of the unique relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom in addressing such challenges and resolved, in line with our shared values, to strengthen ambitiously their structured strategic cooperation.
They reaffirmed that the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement underpin relations between them and underlined their mutual commitment to the full and faithful implementation of those agreements. They reaffirmed their mutual commitment to uphold international law and to the European Convention on Human Rights. They agreed a stable, positive and forward-looking relationship was in their mutual interests and provided the basis for long term cooperation.
They agreed to take forward this agenda of strengthened cooperation at pace over the coming months, starting with defining together the areas in which strengthened cooperation would be mutually beneficial, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience, in full respect of their internal procedures and institutional prerogatives. They agreed to meet again this autumn.
They agreed on the importance of holding regular EU-UK Summits at leader-level to oversee the development of the relationship. They agreed that a first Summit should take place ideally in early 2025.
