The European Commissioner for Trade, who is also responsible for relations with the United Kingdom, Maroš Šefčovič, and the UK Minister for Relations with the EU, Nick Thomas-Symonds, launched the work of the fifth EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, established by the 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement, in Brussels on Monday 17 March.
In front of MEPs and British MPs, they both set out their vision of a strengthened partnership in the run-up to the UK-EU Summit on 19 May.
Speaking first, the European Commissioner recalled that the agreement on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Windsor Protocol governing the special situation of Northern Ireland constitute the “pillar” of relations and that “their implementation is essential”.
Stressing that the EU will always defend the interests of Europeans and the more than three million EU nationals in the UK, he explained that the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, “the most ambitious” the EU has been able to conclude to date and which provides duty-free access for a wide range of products, is working “smoothly” overall. It will not, however, replace the effects of full membership, the Commissioner pointed out, and still has “potential to be exploited”.
While Keir Starmer wanted to strengthen partnerships with the EU, the Commissioner said he saw three possible areas: security and resilience in the current geopolitical context through “more structured cooperation, in a context full of challenges”; contact between citizens and the need to “build bridges between workers and students” from the EU and the UK; and finally, protecting the climate, “our planet and its resources” by exploiting the full potential of the trade and cooperation agreement, including new exchanges on energy.
The British leader, for his part, emphasised the common challenges facing the two blocs - the war in Ukraine, energy prices, inflation, the challenges of growth and prosperity - which require a coordinated response across the continent.
Underlining the similarity of views between London and the EU on support for Ukraine and security guarantees, the minister called for closer ties on defence and security, with London seeking “wide-ranging cooperation” with the EU on these issues.
The second area of rapprochement is that of the safety and security of citizens in the face of human trafficking, organised crime and terrorism, and here the issue of borders comes into play. London wants to do more than just strengthen its presence in Europol.
Finally, prosperity is the third key area. London wants to further develop the potential of the trade and cooperation agreement and remove all barriers to trade, despite the fact that trade flows between the EU and the UK fell by 32% last year, he said.
“We must seize the opportunity to review these trade relations so that businesses can benefit from them”, he added, assuring that the UK wants to build a relationship of trust with the EU and “will keep its word”.
Discussions between elected representatives will continue on Tuesday 18 March. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)