The Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) did not receive very encouraging signals from the Commission on Wednesday 14 May regarding the ongoing discussions with the United Kingdom, several sources have reported.
As the EU and the UK meet in London on Monday 19 May for the first joint summit since Brexit in 2021, the Commission has reportedly expressed its frustration at London’s failure to make overtures on certain key issues, such as fisheries and youth mobility.
Indeed, several member countries have denounced the UK’s new ‘cherry-picking’ attitude, which is making discussions difficult.
Mobility for young people is one of the most complex issues. Although the EU would like the UK to join Erasmus+, London has turned down the offer. Nor is the UK government open to charging European students lower fees for access to UK schools than those charged to students from other countries around the world. Nor do Europeans want to accept the principle of quotas for European students.
Discussions on fisheries remain just as tense, with the British offer deemed insufficient (access maintained for four years, according to the British media). For some, this temporary solution for a few years is not acceptable either, as it would mean that European fishermen could be completely deprived of access to British waters.
British demands for a relaxation of health controls, for example on its livestock or agricultural products exported to the EU, are also not going down well with some delegations, because if the EU27 were to agree to this, it would also mean accepting British fish, while European fishermen would no longer be able to fish in British waters, sums up another source.
Other sources also denounced aggressive lobbying by the UK in an attempt to divide the EU. “We are also witnessing a very offensive attack by the United Kingdom on every Member State. The UK is trying to divide the Member States in order to gain more influence and negotiating power, but so far the response has been very united and coordinated”, says one source.
The Commission and the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU will take stock of the situation on Sunday 18 May, at an additional Coreper meeting. The European Political Community Summit on 16 May in Tirana could also be another opportunity to negotiate the texts scheduled for the London Summit. “There’s still a little time left”, says another European source.
The plan at this stage is for the EU and the UK to approve a joint declaration on general issues, a ‘common understanding’ identifying areas of closer cooperation and a Security and Defence Pact, which would open up British participation in the SAFE programme. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)