UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host European Union (EU) leaders in London on Monday in a bid to reset ties with the bloc, as both sides seek progress in select areas while leaving other topics off the table.
Below is a list of issues that could be discussed.
Defence And Security Pact
Britain’s Labour government wants to pursue a defence and security pact that previous Conservative governments opted not to seek when Brexit was first negotiated.
Both sides agree it is imperative for Europe to work more closely together on its defence, in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and calls by U.S. President Donald Trump for NATO’s European members to shoulder more of the burden of the alliance.
Britain could try to negotiate access for UK companies to joint defence projects under Security Action For Europe (SAFE) – an EU loan scheme worth 150 billion euros ($168 billion) – and how much it will have to pay for that access. This could also facilitate greater foreign policy coordination.
But such an agreement may be contingent on other areas, such as fish.
Sanitary And Phytosanitary (SPS)
Labour has positioned a veterinary agreement with the EU as central to its planned EU reset, aimed at preventing unnecessary border checks on agricultural produce such as meat and dairy.
Any deal would maintain high food standards, which Britain also insisted were not lowered in its discussions with the U.S. to remove tariffs.
The EU is likely to ask Britain for dynamic alignment with its SPS rules and a role for the European Court of Justice, which Starmer could agree to, according to the think tank UK in a Changing Europe.
The more likely scenario at this summit is that both sides agree on a future framework for negotiations on SPS, rather than reach a final agreement.
Youth Mobility
Measures to make it easier for under-30s to travel and work between Britain and the EU are seen as a priority for the bloc. But the Starmer government has been cautious, ruling out any return to freedom of movement between Britain and the EU.
A youth mobility scheme would likely involve limits on how many people can use it and how long they can stay, with campaign group Best for Britain finding two-thirds of Britons support a scheme with a two-year limit.
British participation in the Erasmus+ student exchange programme could also be discussed in future.
Fisheries
Provisions covering both fishing and energy are due to expire in 2026 and need to be extended or renegotiated over the next year.
The post-Brexit trade agreement transferred existing quotas to the bloc for a transition period, after which they would be negotiated on an annual or multi-annual basis.
EU diplomats have said that a fisheries deal should be the same length as any agreement on SPS, to ensure equal leverage during any renegotiations, while France is pushing for any defence deal to be contingent on a fisheries agreement.
(With inputs from Reuters)
