Paris - The capital cities of France and
Britain will pool their tourist development resources and offer
startup companies cheap rates on the Eurostar train link as part
of an attempt to limit the impact of Brexit, the Paris and
London mayors said on Tuesday.
"We are developing new exchanges and new projects. All these
initiatives will create employment, activity and economic
growth," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a joint statement
before meeting her British counterpart Sadiq Khan in Paris.
"It is a very positive dynamic that the Brexit will not
change."
The two are meeting a day before the British government
starts the clock on a two-year divorce process from the European
Union and are seeking to reassure companies that the process
will be smoother than many anticipate.
Khan is due to arrive in Paris later on Tuesday to promote
the initiatives and to discuss security issues with Hidalgo and
French Interior Minister Matthias Fekl in the aftermath of last
week's attack on Britain's parliament.
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"The cities of Paris and London have made a choice to focus
on constructive alliance, rather than competition," the
statement said.
"We have so much to gain from joining forces," Khan added.
Economists expect Britain's referendum vote last summer to
significantly hurt trade and business links between the bloc and
one of its largest members.
The statement contained no details about the co-operation,
but said the two cities were working towards allowing startup
companies to have a joint Paris-London domicile.
They will also be pooling the resources of the
VisitLondon.com and Parisinfo.com tourism promotion operations
that oversee industries worth a combined 34 billion euros
($36.92 billion).