Overview
- A joint UK–France statement issued July 29 committed to deepen cooperation on anticipating, preventing and responding to climate risks and to back early‑warning systems such as CREWS.
- On July 29 in Madrid the UK and Spain declared this summer’s wildfires a European national‑security emergency and pledged to co‑lead the green transition and mobilise sustainable finance.
- Ed Miliband used his first trips as foreign secretary to link climate, defence and migration policy, and to press for practical measures on adaptation, resilience and cross‑border emergency coordination.
- The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has reclaimed a central role in the post‑Brexit UK–EU reconnection, with Hamish Falconer named Europe minister and Miliband accepting an invite to an informal EU foreign ministers’ meeting in September.
- The statements come as France and Spain continue mass evacuations and strained emergency services, and they signal possible shifts in UK diplomacy toward more climate finance, early‑warning investment and closer European security cooperation.