Berlin It’s actually already too late for an initial visit. When Olaf Scholz travels to London for a few hours on Friday for his first meeting as Chancellor with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, there is little time for formalities.
The war in Ukraine has also fundamentally changed the general political climate over the English Channel: the aftermath of Brexit has receded into the background for the time being, the common front of the West towards Putin has brought Great Britain and the EU closer together again.
This is also noticeable in German-British relations. Contacts between Berlin and London have increased significantly in recent weeks. If the enthusiasm had dropped significantly due to the Brexit hangover, people are now even talking about joint cabinet meetings again.
But that cannot hide the fact that Germany and Great Britain do not always speak with one voice in the Russian crisis and that Great Britain’s exit from the EU is putting a strain on trade relations, and that a political time bomb from the Brexit period is still ticking in Northern Ireland.
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“The war in Ukraine certainly put things in a different light,” says Hans Kundnani, head of the Europe program at British think tank Chatham House. It is to be hoped that the EU countries in particular have realized how important Great Britain remains for security in Europe. Militarily, Britain is the European country that makes the largest contribution to NATO.
“But even in London, people are perhaps a little more open to discussing security issues with the EU,” says Kundnani. The only important thing is that Brussels does not see security policy as a lever to partially reverse Brexit.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (middle) together with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and US President Joe Biden.
(Photo: Reuters)
First, Scholz and Johnson have to clear a few obstacles. Britain is urging Europeans, and Germany in particular, to increase military and economic pressure on Putin. Great Britain flagged up to Putin early on with extensive arms deliveries to Ukraine and severe economic sanctions.
Since the images of alleged Russian war crimes in Bucha went around the world, the government in London has been pushing even harder to tighten the sanctions screw – also on the difficult issue of an energy embargo for Berlin. However, it also took the British a long time to make life difficult for the Russian oligarchs in London.
By the end of the year, Great Britain wants to refrain from all coal and oil imports from Russia. A gas embargo is to follow shortly thereafter. However, the island kingdom also only gets three percent of its gas imports from Russia. “Our latest wave of measures will shut down Russian energy imports into the UK (…) to decimate Putin’s war machine,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
Scholz and Johnson are also likely to talk on Friday about what goal they hope to achieve with the sanctions against Russia. There are alleged fears in London that Berlin and Paris could agree to a peace plan over the heads of the Ukrainians. In fact, there is still no agreement in the western camp about the so-called “end game” in the conflict with Russia.
In addition to world politics, there is also a little homework for the two heads of government. First, there is German-British trade, which has deteriorated massively not only as a result of the pandemic but also as a result of Brexit. The British Chamber of Commerce in Germany (BCCG) recently spoke of a “shambles”.
Brexit weighs heavily on German-British trade
According to a BCCG survey, almost 40 percent of German companies reported falling sales in business with Great Britain last year. Many companies complain about increased costs for administration and logistics after Brexit. The fact that SAP wants to invest 250 million euros in the United Kingdom over the next five years is seen as a ray of hope in London.
In German-British trade, there is at least the recognizable will of politicians on both sides of the Channel to improve the situation, but they are still far apart on the still unresolved Northern Ireland question. Johnson would like to reverse the border controls on the Northern Ireland province agreed in the exit agreement and is threatening to suspend the entire Northern Ireland Protocol if Brussels does not agree.
Officially, Scholz is not the right contact person for this, but the Chancellor should make it clear to his British host that the EU will not be divided or give in on this issue.
First, Scholz and Johnson have to clear a few obstacles. Britain is urging Europeans, and Germany in particular, to increase military and economic pressure on Putin. Great Britain flagged up to Putin early on with extensive arms deliveries to Ukraine and severe economic sanctions.
Since the images of alleged Russian war crimes in Bucha went around the world, the government in London has been pushing even harder to tighten the sanctions screw – also on the difficult issue of an energy embargo for Berlin. However, it also took the British a long time to make life difficult for the Russian oligarchs in London.
By the end of the year, Great Britain wants to refrain from all coal and oil imports from Russia. A gas embargo is to follow shortly thereafter. However, the island kingdom also only gets three percent of its gas imports from Russia. “Our latest wave of measures will shut down Russian energy imports into the UK (…) to decimate Putin’s war machine,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
Scholz and Johnson are also likely to talk on Friday about what goal they hope to achieve with the sanctions against Russia. There are alleged fears in London that Berlin and Paris could agree to a peace plan over the heads of the Ukrainians. In fact, there is still no agreement in the western camp about the so-called “end game” in the conflict with Russia.
In addition to world politics, there is also a little homework for the two heads of government. First, there is German-British trade, which has deteriorated massively not only as a result of the pandemic but also as a result of Brexit. The British Chamber of Commerce in Germany (BCCG) recently spoke of a “shambles”.
Brexit weighs heavily on German-British trade
According to a BCCG survey, almost 40 percent of German companies reported falling sales in business with Great Britain last year. Many companies complain about increased costs for administration and logistics after Brexit. The fact that SAP wants to invest 250 million euros in the United Kingdom over the next five years is seen as a ray of hope in London.
In German-British trade, there is at least the recognizable will of politicians on both sides of the Channel to improve the situation, but they are still far apart on the still unresolved Northern Ireland question. Johnson would like to reverse the border controls on the Northern Ireland province agreed in the exit agreement and is threatening to suspend the entire Northern Ireland Protocol if Brussels does not agree.
Officially, Scholz is not the right contact person for this, but the Chancellor should make it clear to his British host that the EU will not be divided or give in on this issue.
More: Ukrainian foreign minister demands from NATO “weapons, arms and weapons”