For Angela Merkel it will probably be the last visit as Chancellor to the Queen. But before she meets Elizabeth II for tea time at Windsor Castle, there are some tough nuts to crack with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Angela Merkel has the greatest respect for the British Queen Elizabeth II. That became clear at the latest at the G7 summit in Cornwall in June, when the Chancellor raved about a meeting with “Her Majesty”. Her admiration for the Brexit pioneer and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not likely to be quite as great. Merkel meets with both of them this Friday on a trip to Great Britain. But there are some conflicting topics to discuss with Johnson in particular.
Oppressive scenes in football stadiums
It is expected that the spectator regulations at the finals of the European Football Championship in London will play a role in the discussion. Due to the delta variant of the corona virus, which was rampant in the country, Merkel had already expressed criticism that London allowed high audience numbers. The semi-finals and the final of the European Championship are to be played in London, with more than 60,000 fans each to be allowed into Wembley Stadium.
What the result could be became apparent after England’s game against Scotland in the preliminary round: Almost 400 Scottish fans tested positive after visiting the stadium in London. Overall, the number of infected Scotland fans who traveled with or without tickets was 1294 after the game.
Trouble with travel restrictions within the EU
In Great Britain, on the other hand, the fact that the Chancellor was campaigning for stricter entry rules from Great Britain within the EU caused displeasure. In Germany there is a ban on transport and entry from the virus variant area Great Britain. This does not apply to anyone who has a place of residence in Germany or who is a German citizen. Nevertheless, there is then a 14-day quarantine.
In contrast, the British can travel to other EU countries much more easily. Merkel advocated a Europe-wide regulation, but has so far failed. There are now signs that Germany could soon revoke Great Britain’s classification – the spread of the delta variant is also advancing in the Federal Republic of Germany. Isolation therefore makes less and less sense.
Bumpy cooperation on foreign and security policy
Only recently, Berlin and London agreed on closer coordination on foreign and security issues. The British even want to support Germany’s desire for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. But what seems to work well on a bilateral level is still bumpy in interaction with the EU. David McAllister (CDU), Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, in an interview with the “Heilbronn Voice”, also called for institutional partnership structures on the subject of foreign policy and security at EU level. On the other hand, London has so far blocked itself, said the European politician.
Ongoing theme of Northern Ireland and climate protection efforts
Northern Ireland continues to be a sore point from the field of Brexit issues. London and Brussels were recently able to avert an escalation in the so-called sausage war over import regulations for chilled meat products to Northern Ireland, but a permanent solution still seems a long way off. The background to this is that, according to the Brexit agreement, the British province is de facto following the rules of the EU internal market. This is to prevent goods controls at the border to the EU member Ireland. However, this makes checks necessary when goods are brought from England, Scotland or Wales to Northern Ireland. This creates difficulties in intra-UK trade for which both sides hold each other responsible.
Another topic could be climate change. As host of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, Johnson is keen to be the driving force behind climate protection efforts. He should be largely in agreement with Angela Merkel on this.
The Queen has already received Merkel twice – in 2008 and 2014. A year later, the Queen visited Berlin. The trip on Friday is likely to be Merkel’s farewell visit as Chancellor in Great Britain – after 16 years in office, she will not run again in the federal election in September.
By the way, you and your delegation do not have to be in quarantine on your return: The German coronavirus entry regulation provides for an exception under Section 6 Paragraph 1 Clause 1 Number 4 for people who “are part of official delegations via the government terminal of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (. ..) return to Germany and have stayed in a risk area for less than 72 hours “.
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