On 5 May in Strasbourg, MEPs called on the EU to show ambition with the UK and to work towards the success of the first post-Brexit EU-UK Summit, to be held in London on 19 May.
In a relatively unanimous impetus, MEPs expressed their desire to strengthen ties with the United Kingdom, particularly in the field of defence and security, where both parties were invited to develop cooperation in intelligence sharing, cyber-resilience and combatting foreign interference.
“We are expecting a lot from this Summit”, commented Nina Carberry (EPP, Irish). Asserting that the world has “changed a great deal” since the trade and cooperation agreement was signed in 2020, the Irish MEP called for progress on veterinary agreements and sanitary and phytosanitary controls, on the mutual recognition of qualifications and on discussions under the EU ETS, the European CO2 quota trading scheme. This rapprochement with London should make it possible to improve resilience and better cope with external shocks.
While some MEPs continued to regret that the UK still did not want to return to the single market or the customs union, they called for the obstacles to be removed, both to promote closer ties on defence and security and to cooperate more on research and, for example, nuclear fusion, fisheries and energy.
They also unanimously called for new mobility arrangements for students, workers and artists, in order to “make life easier” for people on both sides, as the Polish member of the ECR, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, put it.
Irregular migration was also cited by this MEP as an important area for cooperation, as did the PfE group, which, in a somewhat less warm tone, called on the UK, through French MEP Mathieu Valet, to “manage its own border” and stop relying on France.
Ireland’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, for the S&D group, also welcomed this rapprochement, but hoped that this community of values would be translated into stronger language on Gaza, “where international law is being violated and children are being bombed and starved”, as current leaders of the EU and the UK have “blood on their hands”, he said.
During this exchange, Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič considered that this first Summit would be an important milestone in future relations with London, and both parties are clearly expecting a “positive” Summit.
The Commission envisages three areas of developing relations, between security and resilience and defence and security, which are likely to be at the forefront of the Summit, contacts between citizens and, finally, the protection of resources and the planet, including through sustainable fishing.
The Commission is aware of London’s additional requests relating to trade barriers, such as the easing of controls on goods exported to the EU. But it is also aware of the UK’s “red lines” with regard to the single market and the customs union, the Commissioner continued, which does not mean that the Commission is refusing to work on these requests. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)