After a stop in the Netherlands to meet with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron will embark on a two-day visit to Britain, becoming the first EU leader to meet new Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Downing Street.
The French President and Dutch Premier will meet in Eindhoven to discuss how to strengthen ties, especially concerning the shared priority of bolstering European sovereignty.
According to the Elysée, Macron is set to be accompanied by a delegation of French companies, including Mistral AI — widely viewed as Europe’s leading AI champion — during his visit to the headquarters of Dutch semi-conductor company ASML, where he will also meet with leaders in the field of European technology.
Later on Wednesday, Macron will attend the landmark inauguration of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum in London, before taking part in bilateral talks with Burnham on Thursday.
In recent years, the French president has played an instrumental role in championing the daring gambit to loan the 950-year-old tapestry to the British Museum, which is putting it on display until next July.
The 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, which famously depicts the conquest of England by William the Conqueror of Normandy, arrived in London in July for the sell-out exhibition, after leaving France for the first time in more than nine centuries.
Experts feared it could be damaged but the French culture ministry insisted it had arrived in good condition.
Macron is “very eager” to see the tapestry displayed “in optimal conditions” laid out flat at full length on a table, the French presidential official said.
On the diplomatic side, Britain’s new Prime Minister will be looking for concrete outcomes from Macron, as he eyes closer post-Brexit cooperation with the European Union.
The British leader — who replaced predecessor Keir Starmer in July — has vowed to boost sluggish UK growth and keep pushing France for help stopping migrants crossing the Channel to Britain aboard small boats.
Burnham has largely focused on domestic policy since taking over, but has also appeared eager to project his standing on the international stage, in particular maintaining London’s support for Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.
Starmer had enjoyed some success in this area, working closely with Macron and winning admiration from allies. Macron built with Starmer the best relationship with any of the five UK premiers he has seen prior to Burnham, during his near decade in office.
The pair adopted lead roles in a so-called Coalition of the Willing of nations supporting Ukraine. The French leader has remained eager to press his vision of European sovereignty not dependent on the United States, where the United Kingdom is seen as having a crucial role to play even after Brexit.
Burnham has so far only welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street since becoming prime minister and visited Kyiv on his first overseas trip.
On the train to Ukraine, Burnham met EU Council President Antonio Costa, telling him “the UK had to be bolder in terms of getting closer to the bloc,” according to Downing Street.
Additional sources • AFP