PM call with EU Commission President Von der Leyen: 19 June 2023

The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, this morning.

He looked forward to welcoming President Von Der Leyen to London for the Ukraine Recovery Conference this week, and they discussed efforts to galvanise international support for Ukraine and drive long-term public and private investment.

The leaders also reflected on the tragic shipwreck in Greece last week and the brutal business model of people-smuggling gangs.

They reiterated their commitment to continue working closely together to break the criminal enterprises driving illegal migration, including UK cooperation with the EU border agency Frontex.

Following his visit to the US last week, the Prime Minister updated on the UK’s work on artificial intelligence and the leaders discussed the challenges and opportunities of this burgeoning technology.

President Von Der Leyen welcomed plans for a UK-hosted global summit on AI later this year and highlighted EU initiatives in this area, and they agreed to cooperate on a shared approach.

The Prime Minister also noted opportunities for the UK and EU to further develop our joint work on science and technology, including to meet our shared green ambitions.

He hoped to see progress in discussions on the UK’s possible participation in the Horizon Europe programme, and for the UK and EU to reach a pragmatic agreement on electric vehicle battery manufacturing to support car makers across the continent.