The UK and France will work together more closely to tackle the migration crisis gripping both countries, British Prime Minister Liz Truss and French President Emmanuel Macron said during a meeting on Thursday.
The pair met outside the first summit of the European Political Community summit in Prague, a gathering for which Mr Macron pushed hard.
They said they looked forward to “an ambitious package of measures this autumn” to address migration across the English Channel.
And in a sign that Ms Truss hopes to improve relations with Mr Macron, she had no hesitation in calling him a “friend”, just weeks after refusing to do so.
The then British foreign secretary was widely criticised after she declined to say whether Mr Macron was a “friend or foe” when asked during the Conservative Party leadership contest.
Mr Macron later said it was a “problem” if Britain could not call itself a friend of France.
But as Prime Minister, Ms Truss adopted a different tone before the meeting.
“I work very, very closely with President Macron and the French government, and what we’re talking about is how the UK and France can work more closely together to build more nuclear power stations and to make sure that both countries have energy security in the future," she said.
“We’re both very clear the foe is [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, who has through his appalling war in Ukraine threatened freedom and democracy in Europe and pushed up energy prices which we’re now all having to deal with.”
Asked about Mr Macron's status with Britain, Ms Truss replied: “He is a friend.”
The meeting between the two leaders, which took place towards the end of the day, appeared to show some progress on the issues of migration and energy, which she had raised as priorities before the summit.
It also emerged that the two countries have agreed to hold a joint summit next year to “take forward a renewed bilateral agenda”, in a further sign of the desire for warmer relations.
“They further agreed to deepen co-operation on illegal migration within the bounds of international law, to tackle criminal groups trafficking people across Europe, ending in dangerous journeys across the Channel,” the leaders said in a statement.
“Interior ministers should conclude an ambitious package of measures this autumn. Leaders agreed to reinforce co-operation with near neighbours, including through an early meeting of the Calais group.”
France and the UK also expect to “conclude an ambitious package of measures this autumn” to help respond to small boat crossings in the Channel.
“They underlined their determination to provide all necessary support to Ukraine for as long as it takes to restore Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, to resist Russian aggression and to hold Russia to account for its actions,” the statement said.
“The president and the prime minister reaffirmed the strong and historic ties between their two countries.
"They agreed to hold the next UK-France summit in 2023 in France to take forward a renewed bilateral agenda.”
On energy, they said: “They confirmed the full support of the UK and French governments for the new nuclear power station at Sizewell and expect the relevant bodies to finalise arrangements in the coming month.
“The leaders committed to advance and increase UK-France civil-nuclear co-operation, including on innovation, infrastructure development and workforce skills, ahead of next year’s UK-France summit.”
European Political Community summit — in pictures
The UK prime minister also insisted she was not moving her administration closer to Europe.
Ms Truss, who has faced a torrid few days at home that included backbench revolts and a fractious party conference, sought to present the UK as a crucial ally in Europe against authoritarianism and as a staunch backer of Ukraine at the Czech summit.
But she was resolute that her attendance at the summit, alongside EU and some non-EU states, did not signal a fundamental shift in her perspective on the bloc.
“What this is about is working with all of our European partners to challenge [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s appalling war in Ukraine, but also to work together on the issues that we all face, huge energy costs, rising inflation and also migration across our continent,” she said on Thursday evening.
“So it is very important that we work with our neighbours and allies to face down Putin but also deal with the issues we face.”
Liz Truss's political career — in pictures
She denied that her attendance at the meeting, which also included face-to-face talks with her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, signalled any hopes of easing UK-EU trade as a way to boost growth.
“This is not about moving closer to Europe,” Ms Truss said.
“This is about working with Europe on issues that we both face and both face rising energy costs, that’s why I took the decision to put in place the energy price guarantee so people in Britain weren’t facing bills of up to £6,000 [$6,700].
“That is why we’re working with our European neighbours on doing more on the North Sea, on offshore wind, which I have been talking about today.
“We’re working with our partners on more nuclear energy, so that we’re never in the same position again of being dependent on Russia and Russia using energy as leverage against free democracies.”
At a plenary session earlier, Ms Truss pitched the UK as a key Ukrainian ally, referring to the example of Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic after the collapse of communism.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
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May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
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May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
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Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
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Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
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Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
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- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
More on Coronavirus in France
