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- Germany and the UK are set to deepen cooperation on critical minerals as the two countries seek to build closer ties following Brexit. British Business Secretary Peter Kyle and German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche are due to sign a strategic agreement on rare earth minerals at a German-British economic forum in Berlin on Monday. ‘Critical minerals underpin much of the economic security that we need,’ Kyle told dpa ahead of the visit. ‘Critical minerals underpin much of the economic high-growth sectors in the future, whether it’s technology, with the phones that we use, and also whether it’s medical equipment right the way through down to societally important products.’ Kyle said that while both Germany and the UK do produce rare earth minerals, European countries’ production cannot match that of China, meaning they must work together to secure supplies and build reserves. ‘By working together ... we can be compatible, and we can be strategic, and we can lay the foundations for long-term resilience,’ he explained, describing Berlin and London as having a ‘very instinctive relationship.’ The agreement was aimed at ‘collaboration across the entirety of the critical raw materials landscape,’ said a joint statement by Kyle and Reiche. The economic summit builds on the Kensington Agreement signed by both countries in July 2025, which established a framework for gradually deepening cooperation in defence, security, the economy, health and culture. The German Chamber of Commerce & Industry describes the UK and Germany as ‘friends with certain benefits.’ The two countries are also planning to cooperate in the field of artificial intelligence. The UK is joining the EU’s AI Champions initiative, bringing together major companies and tech start-ups. ‘In the AI race, it is essential that we work together and partner as much as possible,’ Kyle told dpa. The business secretary said it was remarkable that there is ‘not a single trillion dollar company on the continent of Europe,’ unlike in the US and China. He said it was ‘unlikely’ that a new tech giant could emerge in a single European country, but said it was ‘achievable’ in the case of collaboration between various nations and companies. ‘That spark has got to come from like-minded countries that share a sense of ambition,’ Kyle argued. By dpa correspondents source: dpa Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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