On Wednesday 30 April, the ambassadors of the EU Member States will examine the state of relations between the EU and the United Kingdom, at a time when both parties have expressed a willingness to strengthen their partnership in recent months, particularly in the areas of defence, trade, security and the fight against illegal immigration.
All these issues will be addressed on 19 May at the EU-UK Summit in London, for which a draft joint statement will be prepared. A relatively short first draft of a ‘Joint Statement on a Geopolitical Preamble’ dated 25 April, will be discussed by the permanent representatives on 30 April.
Seen by Agence Europe, this first text underlines the commitment of both parties to WTO rules, multilateralism and free and open trade. It is also a reminder of their commitment to global economic stability, particularly in the context of rising US tariffs and tensions between the US and China, which have global repercussions.
The two parties will also reaffirm their continued support for Ukraine, whether financial, political or military, and the maintenance of sanctions against Russia.
They will discuss as well the issue of irregular migration, which will be another theme of the 19 May Summit, along with the defence and deepening of trade relations, as the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on 24 April during her visit to London.
In recent months, following the election of Keir Starmer, the two parties had expressed a willingness to move closer together on these various issues, in particular to deepen trade relations governed by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The idea is to remove more barriers to trade, but the Member States also want to ensure that London properly applies beforehand existing agreements, such as the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Protocol for Northern Ireland.
As far as defence is concerned, the challenge for the British government is also to ensure that its defence industries benefit from the €150 billion SAFE programme.
The 19 May summit could also, in principle, be an opportunity to confirm British participation, but within the framework of a new ‘Security and Defence Pact’, as requested by the EU.
The EU also wants to strengthen the free movement of young students via Erasmus +. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Léa Marchal)