By Caroline Hager – our Brussels correspondent
Caroline is originally from Camborne but now, as a retired European Commission official, still lives in Brussels. She returns to Cornwall on a regular basis to visit family and stay connected to her roots, plus she recently joined our CfE committee and as a result, she has become our “Brussels correspondent” providing an insight into the opinions of our European friends.
At last! Five years after the UK’s heart-breaking and economically damaging withdrawal from the EU, the first UK- EU summit on 19 May opened a new chapter in the UK’s relationship with the EU. No, this does not mean the UK will rejoin the EU any time soon. It does mean that the UK and EU have made a commitment to cooperate in an unexpectedly wide range of areas, reflecting how much the UK and EU depend on this new strategic partnership at a time of dangerous global instability.
In summary, the UK has agreed to a crucial security and defence partnership to work together to tackle common security threats, not least from Russia. It also earmarks the UK’s inclusion in the EU’s 150 billion EUR defence procurement scheme called SAFE with new lucrative and job-creating opportunities for the defence industry.
Costly and time-consuming red tape for UK food and drink exports will be reduced by “dynamically” aligning UK with EU standards on food safety, animal and plant health (known as SPS). In return – and this is a big UK concession and a blow to Cornish and other UK fishermen – to extend full reciprocal access to fishing waters until 2038. The UK government argues that this deal will boost the fishing industry which exports 70% of its fish catches to the EU and offers £360 million investment into the industry.
It is great news for young people that the UK government has finally agreed to work with the EU on a “time-limited, capped youth experience scheme” to allow young people to work and study abroad. It will even consider re-joining the Erasmus Plus programme, the EU’s student exchange scheme, a big campaign goal of the European Movement. Other good news is that travelling will become easier as e-gates will eventually be open for use by British passport holders and our pets can once again travel with a pet passport. Looking to the future, the UK’s possible participation in the EU’s electricity market means greater energy security and lower prices and the UK’s link to the EU’s emissions trading system means less costs for industry to achieve the climate goal of net zero. Sharing information on organised crime and illegal migration always made sense. Oh, and they agreed to preserve the tariff-free trade in steel products. Take that, President Trump.
With the predictable cries of betrayal from the UK’s Tory opposition and press, I dipped into some media reports across Europe and found a generally positive response to the UK’s new post-Brexit reset with the EU to share with you.
In France, le Monde, writes that relations are definitely improving, not least due to a strong shared interest in defence and security cooperation in the face of Russia’s threats and Trump’s unreliable support. And quelle surprise, no crowing over the French-led fishing deal giving the EU fishing industry access to UK waters until 2038. Fact is that the UK’s agri-food sector is economically far more important and in return for access to UK’s fishing waters for the next 12 years, the EU agreed to the UK big ask for indefinite access to the EU market (as long as the UK “dynamically” aligns its standards with the EU).
In Germany, there was no “schadenfreude” over the UK’s reset with the EU after deciding to leave the Union nine years ago.On the contrary, Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung describes the agreement as an important step towards being friends again, healing the wounds after a hideous divorce. The SDZ calls on Keir Starmer to be brave and to make the most of the summit’s goodwill to deepen cooperation. The German TV news channel ZDF welcomes the UK and EU’s moves towards closer ties, albeit with “the handbrake on”. And even the German tabloid, Bild, sets out the deal’s benefits for the Germans such as easier travel for German tourists to the UK, fewer controls and faster delivery times for popular British cheeses saving German importers money (and boosting UK’s cheese exports!).
In Poland, the media welcomed the deal as a pivotal moment for UK-EU relations and stress the importance of the UK’ participation in security, defence and support for Ukraine. Polish prime minister Donald Tusk welcomed UK cooperation for a cohesive and stable Europe.
In Spain, commentators see the result of the summit as a reset of relations which essentially reverts significant areas to the pre-Brexit situation! Of course, the UK’s concession in fishing rights is welcomed by Spain’s influential fishing lobby who go as far as speaking of the “burial” of Brexit even if reciprocal access to fishing areas is time-limited to 12 years. This concession has earned the UK significant re-entry into the Spanish market for foodstuffs, mainly meat products. Faster entry for UK tourists at Spanish airports is a good thing.
In Belgium, the Brussels Times also welcomes the opening of the electronic gates for use by the British, ending those long frustrating queues at airports. It calls for some patience as this measure is not set to come into effect until after the introduction of the European Union Entry/Exit System (EES) expected in October 2025. The EES is an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for short stays (90 days). Don’t expect shorter queues at Europe’s airports this summer.
All in all, the UK-EU summit was perceived Europe-wide as a step in the right direction for re-building the UK’s relationship with the EU. With Putin’s aggressive war and Trump’s flip-flop policies, Europe needs the UK, a nuclear and military power, to be part of Europe’s defence and security initiatives and the UK, well, we know, needs to be part of the EU.
On a more sober note, there is a lot more work to be done before the summit outcomes become reality. This was a political agreement with many details to be negotiated and agreed to become legally binding. The UK government’s red lines – no return to the single market, no return to the customs union and no return to free movement – remain. Nonetheless, the decision to meet regularly and organise an annual UK-EU summit should help maintain the goodwill and openness to cooperation.
We must continue to campaign for the release of that metaphorical handbrake, to quote the German news, allowing the UK to move forward and back in the direction of the EU. It looks like we would be welcome.
