With the Treaty of Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation, Germany and the United Kingdom are making an important contribution to Europe's security and defense. Learn more here.
Signing of the friendship treaty on July 17, 2025
On July 17, 2025, Chancellor Merz and Prime Minister Starmer, along with Foreign Ministers Johann Wadephul and David Lammy, signed the Treaty of Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation in London.
The United Kingdom is one of Germany's and the European Union's closest partners. Our strong relationship is based on shared values and interests. Both countries have been working closely together for decades, coordinating their efforts on current challenges with mutual trust. This treaty now provides a bilateral framework for this enhanced cooperation. The German Federal Cabinet gave its approval for the signing of the treaty on July 16, 2025.
Here you can find the text of the friendship agreement on German and (German-English; English-German Read more.
The range of German-British relations
The treaty encompasses the full spectrum of German-British relations, with a particular focus on security and defense. It builds upon the already strong defense ties between Germany and the United Kingdom and reaffirms the commitment to NATO, which forms the common foundation of our Euro-Atlantic security. A mutual assistance clause in the treaty underscores the importance of these security policy relations.
The agreement also addresses cooperation in the areas of economics, energy and climate protection, migration, science, digitalization, state modernization, and exchange between citizens. Negotiations for the treaty, led by the foreign ministries, began in September 2024.
The agreement also aims to promote prosperity, growth, and innovation. Specifically, this means, for example, that both countries will work together to further develop the potential of renewable energies in the North Sea.
It is the people who shape our close relationships.
Strengthening the exchange of young people between Germany and the United Kingdom is also a key element: The United Kingdom will reintroduce student group lists from 2026 – this regulation allows visa-free travel for school groups and thus strengthens exchanges. This is one of a total of 17 flagship projects agreed upon alongside the treaty, making the deepened cooperation between Germany and the United Kingdom tangible in many areas. You can find all 17 flagship projects here. German and (German-English; English-German Read more.
Relations between Germany and the United Kingdom are multifaceted and thrive on initiatives pursued at all levels – from small communities to the federal level. For example, there are over 400 German-British town twinning partnerships. The German federal states play a crucial role in this. A selection of projects supported by the federal states is... here available.
