Prime Minister will meet German Chancellor
Olaf Scholz in Berlin today [Wednesday] to deepen our defence and
security cooperation.
As an initial step, the UK and Germany will announce plans for a
joint endeavour to develop Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm
Wheeled Artillery Systems (RCH 155), which will be fitted to
Boxer vehicles.
The joint programme is expected to create hundreds of British and
German jobs, while equipping our armed forces with battle-winning
capabilities for future ground warfare.
It follows the Prime Minister's visit to Poland on Tuesday, where
he held talks with Prime Minister Tusk and the Nato
Secretary-General and announced a historic uplift in UK defence
spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
Prime Minister said:
The UK and Germany are European powerhouses. Together, we are
stronger – whether that is defending against Russian aggression
or driving economic growth and technological advance.
Today we are opening a new chapter in our relationship, one that
will make us safer and more prosperous. At this dangerous moment
for the world, the UK and Germany are standing side by side to
preserve security and prosperity at home and across our
continent.
The leaders are also expected to discuss collaboration on energy
and renewables, including on the export of green hydrogen from
the UK and Germany, and joint efforts to tackle organised
immigration crime.
The UK and Germany are the two largest economies in Europe and
Germany is our largest trading partner on the continent, with
bilateral trade worth £147.7 billion last year.
The Prime Minister will meet leading businesses in Berlin to
drive further economic cooperation, as German firms announce £8
billion worth of new investment today into the UK.
German energy company RWE have confirmed their intention to
invest more than €8 billion (£6.9 billion) in the UK by the end
of this decade, and E.ON energy will be investing £1bn in the UK
over the next 5 years to help drive the green energy transition.
RWE CEO Dr Markus Krebber said:
“The UK has been one of RWE's most important core markets for
decades. We are committed to continuing to contribute to the UK's
ambitious renewable energy and decarbonisation targets. We intend
to invest a further €8 billion in the UK by the end of this
decade into commercially viable projects.”
Uniper, another leading German energy company, has also committed
to invest a further €8 billion in green transformation projects
in its main markets in Germany and the UK through 2030, including
in gas-fired power plants, solar and wind parks, energy storage
systems, and hydrogen production units.
