Friendship Treaty signed on 17 July 2025

The Treaty on Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation was signed in London on 17 July 2025 by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as by Foreign Ministers Johann Wadephul and David Lammy.

The United Kingdom is one of the closest partners that Germany and the European Union have. Our good relations are rooted in our shared values and interests. The two countries have worked together closely for decades and collaborate in a spirit of trust to deal with current challenges. This Treaty now establishes a bilateral framework for our enhanced cooperation. On 16 July, Germany’s Cabinet gave its approval for the Treaty to be signed.

Click here to read the text of the Friendship Treaty in German and in English.

Spectrum of German-British relations

The Treaty covers the whole range of German-British relations, while placing a focus on security and defence. The Treaty builds on the already strong defence relations between Germany and the UK, and reaffirms the countries’ commitment to NATO as the foundation of our Euro-Atlantic security. It also contains a commitment to each other’s defence, thereby underscoring the significance of our security-policy relations.

Further topics covered by the Treaty include cooperation in the spheres of the economy, energy and climate action, migration, science, digitalisation, modernisation of the state, and people-to-people contacts. Negotiations on the Treaty began in September 2024 under the auspices of the foreign ministries.

The Treaty has the aim of promoting prosperity, growth and innovation. This means, for example, that the two countries will work together to take full advantage of the opportunities arising from the renewable energy potential in the North Sea.

It is people that forge our close relationship

Increasing exchange between young people is thus also a key issue for Germany and the United Kingdom. From 2026, the UK will again allow group applications for school pupils, thus allowing visa-free travel for school classes and facilitating exchange. This is one of a total of 17 lighthouse projects that were agreed to flank the Treaty and which lend tangible form to the enhanced cooperation between Germany and the UK in many areas.