Franco-British Summit

Last Friday, Prime Minister Sunak and President Macron had the opportunity to open a new chapter in what has recently been a tumultuous Franco-British relationship. By leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom has made a fundamentally different choice from Macron’s France which, since 2017, has not stopped investing in the European project. And this was not only about Brexit: issues around immigration, the AUKUS treason, and, at the interpersonal level, the relationships between Boris Johnson and Liz Truss and their French counterpart have only emphasised these divergences.??

Yet reconciliation between the two countries is more vital than ever. So, what have we learnt from this Franco-British Summit? And as importantly, how much was this about headlines and photos – compared to solid action??

What has been achieved??

London and Paris have reached a new agreement to curb illegal immigration from France, with an increase in funding over the next three years. Britain will pour another 141 million euros in 2023-24, 191 million euros in 2024-25 and 209 million euros in 2025-2026, to create a new detention centre and increase police patrol on the beaches, amongst other measures.??

The deal was no breakthrough but a win for Sunak, who has kindly reminded the press (and his French-bashing backbenchers) that this will still cover only part of the cost incurred by France. In reality, an instant solution to the crisis simply does not exist.??

Additionally, Macron and Sunak agreed a joint France-UK programme to train Ukrainian marines. They also reiterated their support to the Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C projects and expressed their desire to maintain and enhance their bilateral cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy. Macron and Sunak reaffirmed their commitment to the 2010 Lancaster House treaties in order to deepen further their defence and security partnership. The two leaders also spoke about the European Political Community, striving to ensure the success of its next summit on 1 June, and discussed social, cultural and economic ties ahead of the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.??

More symbolism than content??

At the end of the visit, Macron and Sunak hailed “a new chapter” in Franco-British ties. Macron, 45, and Sunak, 42, have many reasons to get along. Former investment bankers and finance ministers, both are ideologically from the centre-right. Most importantly, Macron, an Anglophile, and Sunak, a Francophile, held the two countries’ first bilateral summit in five years.??

Close attention should be paid to the language used by both leaders. “I feel very fortunate to be serving alongside you and incredibly excited about the future we can build together. Merci mon ami”, Sunak said during a press conference. On the French side, Macron said he wanted to “fix the consequences of Brexit.” Bruno Le Maire, France’s Economy minister, who took part in the summit, said “the key message is a message of friendship and partnership, a message of co-operation between France and the UK.”?

So, Macron-Sunak, a new bromance? Not so fast.??

Despite the choreographed PR that marked the day (and our Twitter feeds), everything is not forgotten. Behind the scenes, “mistrust” remains in Paris, according to a French source. The UK’s exit from the EU also imposes limits in many areas such as trade or the mobility of nationals between both countries.??

But for Number 10, this visit opens a new page, framed by the necessity to compensate for Brexit, what many in France see as a strategic error. On the French side, Macron will seek to ensure its neighbour does not go adrift, and remains anchored to European interests in its pursuit of “strategic autonomy”. After all, and as Sunak reminded, Britain has left the European union, not Europe.?

Almost thirty years after the opening of the Eurotunnel, Britain and France now more than ever need to start building bridges together.??