EU-UK summit in London: Five years after Brexit: New deal between the EU and London

Five years after the Brexit, Great Britain and the EU are approaching again. At the first summit since Great Britain left out of the European Union, both sides agreed closer cooperation on topics such as defense and security, food standards, fishing and energy as well as irregular migration. In addition, traveling and living abroad should be easier for people on both sides of the English Channel.

Both sides would have agreed on a “historical” deal, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference with EU Council President António Costa and Great Britain Premier Keir Strandmer in London. In many areas, however, the agreement remains vague and should only be the starting point for further discussions.

“Start of a new era”

The summit in London was the first meeting of this kind since Brexit in 2020 and is to take place once a year in this format. Strander spoke of the “beginning of a new era in our relationships”. Great Britain thus receives better access to the EU market than all other countries outside of the State Association, according to the Labor politician.

With regard to the war in Ukraine and the customs policy of US President Donald Trump, both sides demonstrated unity with confessions to support Kiev and free trade.

Geopolitical situation ensures together

Great Britain had left the EU in early 2020 and has not been a member of the EU Customs and Indoor Market since 2021. In a referendum, a very narrow majority of the British had spoken out for leaving and ended 47 years of EU membership.

According to surveys, a majority of the British now supports a return to the EU, but that is neither an issue in London nor in Brussels. Costa emphasized: “This is not a turnaround, but a new chapter.”

A return to the EU internal market and customs union is still taboo, as Starmer clarified. When it comes to food hygiene, London wants to orientate himself to EU standards again, which is supposed to simplify trading and press prices in British supermarkets.

Both sides also want to grant themselves full mutual access to fishing reasons for a period of twelve years – a point that is a political issue in Great Britain. Controlling control over your own waters was one of the most important arguments of the Brexit supporters.

The conservative opposition head Kemi Badenoch spoke of a “sell -off”. Right-wing populist and Brexit foremons Farage even warned of the “end of the fish industry” in Great Britain.

For the time being there is no concrete agreement for a proposal by the EU Commission for a so-called Youth Mobility Scheme. The topic is not from the table. The two sides agreed to continue working on it. Berlin in particular had insisted on the fact that young people from the EU can live and work easier for limited time in the United Kingdom.

From a London perspective, this topic is also delicate because it could be water on the mills of Farages, whose party reform UK is currently lying ahead of the popular parties Labor and the conservatives. Nevertheless, both sides were confident that there could be an agreement. “We are not far away,” said Costa. Strander indicated that such a program should be significantly limited in terms of time and in terms of size.

Entry to EU countries should be easier for British travelers. Instead of waiting for passport control in line with travelers from all over the world, they should be able to go through e-gates in the future.

Access to EU defense billions

For the UK, it is central to the fact that British companies can support the EU’s procurement projects for armaments. Among other things, it is about a financial instrument called Safe, which is to be made available for a total of 150 billion euros – for example for air defense systems and artillery.

Although the project at EU level is not yet completely in dry cloths, the negotiations on this are almost complete, according to diplomatic circles. With the security partnership that has now been decided, the basis is now created for Great Britain that British companies can be involved.

A closer cooperation also agreed both sides in the protection of critical infrastructure. Recently, there was always damage to Untersekabeln. In addition, more cooperation is planned with a view to security in space and more data about irregular migration should be exchanged in the future.