The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will host Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 27 European Union nations at City Hall today (9 November), ahead of a trade mission to Berlin and Paris.
Today’s meeting will focus on Brexit and the welfare of EU communities living in London. It comes ahead of the Mayor visiting Berlin and Paris where he will meet with leading businesses and senior politicians, as he works to protect key trade, business and cultural ties between London and other leading European capitals.
In both cities the Mayor will make the case that, despite Brexit, London remains open to the world: open to business, open to ideas, open to investment, open to trade and open to talent.
In Berlin on Monday (12 November) Sadiq will speak at a breakfast event hosted by Bloomberg and attended by major German companies, including Bosch and Deutsche Bank, about business opportunities in London.
He will then meet with the German Finance Minister, Olaf Scholz, before heading to City Hall for a meeting with his counterpart in Berlin, Mayor Michael Muller, as well as the Mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena.
All three Mayors will then discuss challenges facing European cities at times of rising right-wing populism, immigration and the tests posed by Brexit. An audience of more than 200 local business people, academics and students will also have the opportunity to put questions to the three Mayors.
Sadiq then travels to Paris where he will address up to 250 representatives of the tech industry from the UK and France at a reception at the British Ambassador’s residence.
A packed programme the following day (13 November) begins with a meeting with the French Minister for European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau. The Mayor will then join his counterpart in Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo, for a national memorial event at the Bataclan Theatre, hosted by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, to mark the third anniversary of the terrorist attack in 2015. Sadiq will represent London, standing in solidarity with Paris, three years on from the atrocity.
Later that day the Mayor will meet with Nicolas Dufourcq who is Chief Executive of the French development and export and import bank, Bpifrance. Sadiq will then meet with French start-up companies interested in working in London at an event organised by London & Partners, where he will be joined by leading women business founders who are part of the Mayor’s International Business Programme. The Mayor’s visit to Paris will conclude with a private meeting with senior French business people at which he will discuss Brexit and support for overseas businesses investing in London.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London benefits from fantastic trade, business and cultural ties with both Paris and Berlin, and as Mayor it is my job to do everything possible to build on those key relationships to attract jobs, investment and trade for the benefit of every Londoner. Brexit may be on the horizon but London remains well and truly open. I will also be using my time in both cities to share ideas and learn from our friends and partners in Europe with a view to tackling shared challenges that range from housing to air quality, policing and transport.”
More than one million EU citizens live in London including 59,000 from Germany and 94,000 from France. While in Berlin and Paris the Mayor will hail the major contribution their citizens make to the life of his city.
At the City Hall meeting with EU ambassadors and High Commissioners today the Mayor will ask them to help promote his EU Londoners online hub, which is set to launch on a test basis at www.london.gov.uk. The aim of the Hub is to help European Londoners and their families in their preparation for their Settled Status application - when the scheme is launched - and guide them to reliable, accredited and trusted sources of further support and information.
Sadiq Khan added: “London is a truly global city where we see our incredible diversity as a strength, not a weakness. We are lucky that more than a million EU citizens have decided to make this their home. They are Londoners, they belong here and they will always be welcome. To help them navigate the uncertainty ahead we are creating an online portal where the very latest advice will be available to ensure that those who have come to our city remain able to contribute to every aspect of life here, and continue to make London a more vibrant, dynamic and prosperous city.”