UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed on a wide-ranging framework to reset the EU-UK relationship. The deal, announced at a summit in London, covers key areas including defence, trade, mobility, and border security. Here are the major takeaways:
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Defence and Security Pact
• Biannual foreign and security policy dialogues between the UK Foreign Secretary and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
• Regular invitations for the UK to attend high-level EU meetings, including European Councils.
• Annual EU-UK defence dialogue and potential UK participation in EU crisis management exercises.
• Enhanced cooperation in space, cybersecurity, and monitoring of “shadow fleets” used to evade sanctions.
• Personnel exchanges via UK and EU defence colleges.
• Potential UK participation in the EU’s €150bn loans-for-arms fund, subject to signing a third-country agreement.
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Fisheries Agreement
• A 12-year agreement (2026–2038) ensuring EU boats access to UK waters.
• Continued access for EU vessels to UK’s 6–12 nautical mile coastal zones.
• Access based on average catch tonnage from 2012–2016 within each party’s 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
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Veterinary Agreement
• Joint pursuit of a deal allowing most agri-food exports to proceed without checks or certificates.
• Requires “dynamic alignment”—UK must follow EU rules on plant and animal products.
• Covered by an independent arbitration mechanism, but the European Court of Justice remains the final authority on EU law matters.
• The UK will contribute financially toward implementation costs.
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Youth Mobility, Business Mobility, and Touring Artists
• Agreement to develop a time-limited youth mobility scheme for 18–30-year-olds.
• Dedicated visa route with mutually agreed participant numbers.
• Ongoing discussions about the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ student exchange programme.
• EU to support touring artists but no special deal for UK artists.
• Discussions on improving business visa rules and mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
• Confirmation that there are no legal barriers preventing UK citizens from using EU e-gates once the visa waiver scheme launches.
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Energy Trading and Carbon Border Taxes
• The EU will explore the UK’s future participation in its internal energy market.
• Existing energy trade arrangements will remain in place during negotiations.
• Both sides to explore relinking emissions trading schemes.
• If relinked, the UK would be exempt from the EU carbon border tax effective January 2026.
• UK must align with EU energy rules and make a financial contribution.
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Security Exchanges and Border Management
• A pledge to finalise post-Brexit Europol cooperation arrangements swiftly.
• Mutual information sharing on terrorism and serious organised crime.
• Expanded collaboration on people smuggling and irregular migration.
• Commitment to faster sharing of data on DNA, fingerprints, and vehicle registrations.
• Agreement to share best practices for managing returns of irregular migrants to third countries.
