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Steinmeier Urges a Confident, Competitive Europe on UK State Visit

11:58 AM, 12/05/2025
Steinmeier Urges a Confident, Competitive Europe on UK State Visit

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier used a Guildhall banquet in the City of London to urge Europe to reclaim a 'new self-confidence' and embrace the Square Mile's entrepreneurial spirit. He praised Europe's strengths and called for faster progress in the digital economy, citing the City of London as an example. Steinmeier highlighted concrete cooperation — the Kensington Treaty, a planned 2028 electricity interconnector and youth mobility proposals — and framed the outreach amid security concerns following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

German President Calls for Renewed European Self-Confidence at Guildhall

During a banquet at the historic Guildhall in the City of London, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Europe to reinvigorate its economic ambition and recover a "new self-confidence" by adopting some of the Square Mile's entrepreneurial spirit. Speaking on the second day of a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom, the largely ceremonial head of state emphasized Europe's strengths — capital, talent, infrastructure and legal certainty — and urged the continent to accelerate its digital transformation.

"In future, we Europeans can only be strong if we redefine our role and discover a new self-confidence," Steinmeier told a gilded audience of business leaders, accompanied by his wife, Elke Budenbender.

Steinmeier, who was Germany's foreign minister during the 2016 Brexit referendum and a known critic of the decision to leave the EU, embraced the recent thaw in relations between London and European capitals. He used cultural touchstones — notably the reunion of Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher — to urge both sides to move beyond past grievances. Addressing MPs in the parliamentary royal gallery, he quoted the song refrain, advising: don't look back in anger, but look forward together.

Concrete Cooperation and Shared Priorities

The president highlighted tangible steps strengthening UK-German ties: the Kensington Treaty on security and defence signed in July, the first EU-UK summit since Brexit that sought to ease trade frictions, a planned German–British electricity interconnector due in 2028, and proposed youth mobility agreements to make it easier for students to study and work across borders. He framed these initiatives within the heightened security environment following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The visit mirrored earlier outreach: King Charles III made a reciprocal trip to Germany in March 2023, and on Wednesday hosted Steinmeier at a Windsor Castle banquet celebrating deep bilateral ties. The state visit will conclude in Coventry, a city heavily bombed in World War II, where British and German air force personnel will join a remembrance ceremony.

Why It Matters

Steinmeier's speeches combined diplomacy and cultural imagery to make a practical argument: Europe must reclaim confidence and modernize economically while building resilient security partnerships. The visit underscores improved UK‑European relations and concrete plans for cooperation in energy, defence and youth mobility.

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