Welcome start to a reconciliation between the UK and the EU

LeMonde

22-05-2025

For the first time since the historic 2016 Brexit referendum and the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union in 2020, the British Isles have initiated a notable move to reconnect with the continent. On Monday, May 19, in London, Keir Starmer's Labour government and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen concluded a "new strategic partnership," officially marking a reversal after years of protracted, acrimonious exit negotiations followed by ongoing distance and mistrust. Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the threat from Russia, American isolationism, the risk of European fragmentation and the rise of national self-interest, this was good news for the 27 member states.
This complex landscape is clearly not unrelated to this welcome renewal of contact. At the heart of the agreement signed on Monday is a defense and security pact that strengthens cooperation on military and armaments issues. It paves the way for future access by British industry to the €150 billion European SAFE fund, which was set up to finance rearmament among the 27 member states. The British also secured the indefinite removal of sanitary checks on their products entering the EU.
In return, they agreed to allow French, Belgian and Dutch fishing vessels access to their national waters until 2038. Starmer did not agree to restore the EU's youth mobility arrangements, a topic on which negotiations will nonetheless continue.
Weight of anti-European rhetoric
While these steps may be relatively modest, they nonetheless reflect the constructive approach that now prevails within both parties. On the British side, this shift represents a recognition of the harm the UK has inflicted upon itself by curbing exchanges with its main economic partner – a reality now acknowledged by a majority of Britons, according to polls. For Europeans, it means admitting that they will have greater influence in world affairs by working closely with a country that possesses a significant defense industry, a structured military and nuclear weapons.
Yet, the agreement still bears the scars of the deep trauma Brexit left in the UK, as well as the enduring influence of anti-European rhetoric. Under pressure from anti-immigration talk from the Conservatives and the far-right Reform UK party – which has enjoyed recent electoral gains – Prime Minister Starmer refused to reinstate some form of free movement for young Europeans, as the EU would like.
The Tories have described alignment with EU sanitary standards and the fishing agreement as another "capitulation" to Brussels, while Reform UK called it a "betrayal of Brexit." The British conservative press accused the Labour leader of having sacrificed the national sovereignty regained in the 2016 vote.
In this context – where "Brussels" remains a loaded term in the UK and where the 27 member states themselves are grappling with populism and nationalism – the "new EU-UK partnership" signed in London reflects not only the EU's enduring pull and a dawning awareness in the UK, but also the need for pragmatism to help rebuild ties made inevitable by economics, geography and history and essential in these challenging times.