The Bundestag has approved the friendship treaty agreed between Germany and the United Kingdom last year, with the vote reflecting broad but not universal support across the political spectrum. CDU/CSU, the SPD and the Greens voted in favour of the agreement on Thursday, while the AfD voted against it and the Left Party abstained. Speakers from various parliamentary groups used the debate to celebrate the German-British friendship, including in the context of Britain's departure from the European Union.
The so-called Kensington Treaty was signed on 17 July 2025 by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Kensington Palace in London. The agreement is designed to create a new framework for bilateral relations between Germany and the United Kingdom following Brexit. It provides for closer cooperation in the areas of foreign, security and defence policy, internal security and justice, trade, science and technology, employment, climate, energy and the environment, as well as culture and society.
"The agreement provides for close and trusting cooperation in a great many areas," said Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) in opening the debate, which was also attended by British Ambassador Andrew Mitchell. Klöckner spoke of a new triangle between Germany, the United Kingdom and France, to which the agreement would contribute.
CDU politician Günter Krings highlighted above all the German-British cooperation in foreign and security policy, as well as on limiting migration. Stephan Meyer (CSU) described the treaty as a "genuine bridge" between Germany and the United Kingdom.
Hubertus Heil (SPD) made the case for reviving the German-British youth exchange programme, which had largely come to a standstill following Brexit. He stressed the importance of political cooperation between the two countries particularly against the backdrop of the policies of US President Donald Trump, through which "Europe can no longer rely on its most important ally."
Chantal Kopf of the Greens welcomed the planned cooperation on climate protection and the expansion of renewable energies. She also paid tribute to the joint commitment with the United Kingdom in supporting Ukraine against Russia's war of aggression, and strongly pushed for cooperation in the defence industry as part of a "Europeanisation of defence policy."
The Left Party and the AfD withheld their support for the treaty. "The treaty contains light and shadow," said Gökay Akbulut (Left Party). She welcomed the planned climate cooperation but criticised the broad space given to defence and military collaboration in the treaty text, as well as the fact that migration was treated primarily as a threat.
Beatrix von Storch (AfD) accused the federal government of wanting to enshrine "a left-green agenda" in yet another international treaty. She pointed to the commitment to the goal of climate neutrality and cooperation in combating hate crime as examples.
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