UK-FRANCE JOINT STATEMENT: 6 OCTOBER 2022

Prime Minister Liz Truss and President Emmanuel Macron met in the margins of the first summit of the European Political Community in Prague.

The two leaders underscored their determination to provide Ukraine with all necessary assistance as far as necessary to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, to resist Russian aggression and to hold Russia accountable for its actions. did.

The President and Prime Minister reaffirmed the strong and historic ties between our two countries. The two leaders agreed to hold the next Anglo-French Summit in France in 2023 to advance a new bilateral agenda.

Energy transition and decoupling from Russian hydrocarbons is a common challenge. The Prime Minister and the President discussed the promotion of bilateral cooperation, especially in the energy sector. The two leaders reaffirmed their belief that both renewable and nuclear energy are part of a coherent strategy to achieve the energy transition and strategic autonomy. They confirmed that the UK and French governments are fully behind Sizewell’s new nuclear power plant and expect the relevant agencies to finalize the deal within the next month.

The two leaders pledged to advance and strengthen UK-France civil nuclear cooperation, including innovation, infrastructure development and workforce skills, ahead of next year’s UK-France summit.

The two leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation on illegal immigration, within international law, to tackle criminal groups that traffic people across Europe and put an end to dangerous journeys across the Channel. The Home Secretary should put together an ambitious set of measures this fall. The Leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries, including through early meetings of the Curry Group.

President Macron and Prime Minister Truss welcomed the quality of discussions at the first summit of the European Political Community and look forward to next steps.