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Arab News
23-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
What does ‘reset' deal mean for UK-EU relations?
The EU and the UK this week embarked on a new chapter in their relations by signing a 'reset' deal at their first formal summit since London left the bloc in 2020. Leaders on both sides stressed the significance of this event. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed hope that 'Britain is back on the world stage,' while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a 'historic moment.' However, critics were quick to decry it as a 'betrayal' of the Brexit vote. I believe this deal is a necessity and serves as an adaptation to recent geopolitical developments. The key points agreed involve border regulations for both humans and animals. This includes 'eGate' access for UK passport holders, saving them time when traveling to EU countries. The deal also introduces pet passports as, after Brexit, British pet owners had to obtain a certificate from a vet in the UK before traveling and then a vet in the EU before returning. Pet passports remove the requirement to obtain animal health certificates for every trip. Another topic that has been debated over many years (and which has a complex history) is fishing rights. This has culminated in no alterations to the current access for EU trawlers to UK waters agreed in 2020. It will continue for the next 12 years. EU fishing vessels can fish in British waters, but they require an approved license. The economic and financial matters involve business, taxes and trading systems. One initiative is the introduction of a new sanitary and phytosanitary deal that aims to decrease red tape for most food and drink exports and imports. This could lower food prices and increase the choice on supermarket shelves. Another vital matter is the issue of carbon taxation. Collaboration is expected on emissions, connecting the EU and UK's emissions trading systems. Under the deal, UK businesses will be exempt from the EU's carbon tax, saving the UK £800 million ($1.07 billion) in EU tariffs. Also, British steel exports will be safe from new EU tariffs and rules, which will save the industry £25 million a year. One initiative is the introduction of a new sanitary and phytosanitary deal that aims to decrease red tape. Dr. Diana Galeeva As for defense and security, the UK defense industry is expected to participate in the EU's €150 billion ($169 billion) Security Action for Europe defense fund. The EU and UK will improve their collaboration on accident reporting, in addition to maritime security. Moreover, the parties agreed to enter talks about the UK getting access to EU facial image data to track dangerous criminals. Also, the deal encourages the UK's National Crime Agency and Europol to collaborate in swapping data about serious crimes and terrorism. As part of the deal, the EU and UK have agreed to work toward a youth mobility scheme that will permit people aged 18 to 30 to live and work freely on either side for a limited period of time. This encompasses negotiations over the UK rejoining the EU's Erasmus+ scheme. Migration is another major theme, as the two sides agreed to work on finding solutions to deal with illegal migration, including a joint commitment to deal with English Channel crossings. Finally, the EU and the UK stated that they would study British participation in the bloc's internal electricity market, involving trading platforms. In Britain, the deal has already received predictable criticism as 'surrendering' anew to the EU. 'We're becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again', bemoaned the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch. Meanwhile, the Reform UK party accused the Labour government of 'betraying' the Brexit vote. However, in light of the ongoing global developments, the plan seems a necessity more than anything else — and not just for London, but for Brussels too. Firstly, shared geography is an unignorable factor. The Arab reader will understand this dilemma better than anyone in the world, after years of ongoing debates about how to deal with Iran. While Iranian foreign policies and its nuclear program have been considered a security threat, Iran is adjacent to these countries, so it has been dangerous to directly counter this threat. This means countries have maintained pragmatic relations with Tehran. In light of global developments, the plan seems a necessity more than anything else — and not just for London. Dr. Diana Galeeva In the case of London and Brussels, the situation is a bit different. They currently face the same security threats and the Ukraine war, in particular, unites them. Until the Ukraine war is resolved and the Russian threat eliminated over the longer term, the mutual necessities of London and Brussels will be driven by their geography. Secondly, both the EU and UK share and prioritize democratic values. US Vice President J.D. Vance's remarks at the Munich Security Conference in February demonstrated that the key defenders of normative power remain the EU and the UK. And this is another essential aspect that drives both parties to keep close ties (even amid the current drift away from America). Thirdly, the Trump administration's policies have contributed to the signing of this deal. The first foreign visit of Donald Trump's second term being to the Gulf only further demonstrated that American interests now lie in the Middle East, rather than in Europe. While London and Brussels remain strategic partners, the US is prioritizing its own national interests, which are primarily economic. Finally, the foreign policies of London largely follow the same path as European interests, such as in the case of the Middle East. Both are interested in a stable Syria, releasing pressure on migration flows and reducing the global terrorist threat. This deal shows that their objectives on terrorist threats remain similar. I would not propose taking a negative stance on the deal, as it allows both parties to keep strategic working relations with the other, while the UK is remaining open to the rest of the world. When the global geopolitical situation changes and favors London's interests in another way, British politics might change its course as a result. But today, geography, security and the current US administration's priorities are the key factors that made it a necessity to conclude this so-called reset deal.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
EU-UK deal a ‘lost opportunity' that could have gone further, says Varadkar
The reset deal agreed by the European Union and the United Kingdom was a 'lost opportunity' that could have gone much further than it did, former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said. The former Fine Gael leader said the agreement struck earlier this week was 'underwhelming', partly because the UK Labour government appeared afraid of arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage . The EU and UK agreed a deal to 'reset' the tumultuous relationship of the Brexit era. It extends EU fishing access in British waters, reduces border checks on agri-food products, includes closer co-operation on energy supply and defence spending, and will allow British travellers to use electronic passport gates when entering EU states, so to avoid lengthy queues. 'What we saw yesterday was very positive. After nine years of the EU and the UK drifting apart, we're now drifting slowly closer together again,' Mr Varadkar told a panel talk in Brussels. READ MORE There was a concern that a different UK government elected in several years could unravel some of what was agreed, he said. 'Fear of Nigel Farage and reopening the Brexit debate is so strong in Britain that that's determining the pace, and I think that's really regrettable,' he said. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaking during an election campaign event last year in Newton Abbot, England. Photograph: Finnbarr Webster/ Getty Images However, if British prime minister Keir Starmer turned around his low poll numbers and was re-elected for a second term, he might be 'braver' and drop some existing red lines, such as refusing to rejoin the EU customs union. The former politician said the new deal could have been more ambitious. 'I think it is a lost opportunity; it could have gone much further,' he said. Reflecting on the Brexit years, Mr Varadkar said former British prime minister Boris Johnson was 'not trustworthy', which made negotiations between the EU and UK difficult. 'I think there is trust now, I've seen the relationship change since the new government was elected in Britain,' he said. The panel talk was organised by Penta, a US consultancy firm, who hired Mr Varadkar to work in an advisory role earlier this year. Mr Varadkar said he feels it is likely some deal will be struck between the EU and US president Donald Trump to scale back trade tariffs introduced by the White House. The former taoiseach said that whatever was agreed would still be 'less favourable' than the trading arrangements before Mr Trump returned to office.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Keir Starmer's Brexit reset restores Britain's place in Europe with pragmatism, not ideology
Reset' as a mission statement may not have the majesty or power of 'ever-closer union', 'taking back control' or even 'community', but there should be no doubting the portent of what Sir Keir Starmer has achieved with his long-promised and modestly termed Brexit reset, nor what it portends for his personal reputation. The new EU-UK 'Common Understanding' may even prove historic. Clearly, in diplomacy at least, Sir Keir has grown into his role impressively. From his unlikely friendship with Donald Trump to co-leading the international ' coalition of the willing ' on Ukraine, he has continued the process of restoring global respect for Britain, tentatively begun by Rishi Sunak – and with much more promise for the future. Unlike Mr Sunak, Sir Keir has no noisy factions to placate in his party, and he can get on with the job – and has done so with astonishing speed. Banished now are the days of Boris Johnson's schoolboy jokes and the asinine quips of Liz Truss, let alone Nigel Farage's gratuitously offensive behaviour in the European parliament. To use one of Sir Keir's favourite phrases, he is a grown-up dealing with other grown-ups. That counts for a surprising amount around the world. There are, and will remain, many arguments about the balance of advantage in the reset relationship. Fish, for example, is probably a 'win' for the EU, but not one that needs to be exaggerated, given that the British have little taste for the species that are most abundant in their territorial waters, and that fisheries are such a tiny proportion of the UK national income. Far more significant, for example, is food production – including fresh and processed fish products – which may now be sold once again into a convenient and lucrative market. Once again, the finest Scottish and English shellfish may be enjoyed in fashionable Parisian restaurants. Much the same goes for gains awaiting Britain's large defence sector, which was about to be excluded from the sizeable new European Defence Investment Programme. Even if it means a UK financial contribution to the fund, as with the other participants, it should serve British industry well. It seems sensible to codify the new, evolving policy of industrial and military cooperation if the UK is to defend its interests in Europe, and European nations are to benefit from engagement in the Trump era. There's also the prospect of lower energy bills, thanks to adjustments in the taxation regime for cross-border sales. Even Gibraltar may get sorted out. Smaller, but highly tangible 'wins' for the UK are new passport arrangements at e-gates, and the reciprocal youth mobility or 'experience' scheme, plus rejoining an enhanced 'Erasmus Plus' project. As some of the more realistic Brexiteers remarked during the long debates about Brexit, Britain cannot be towed halfway across the Atlantic Ocean and will always be European – its interests are tightly knit with continental Europe, with a shared history, culture and common democratic values. The immediate impact of the reset is to demonstrate that Britain's relationship with Europe does not have to be permanently antagonistic. Sir Keir has shown that this is not a 'zero-sum game'. On balance, it is win-win for all sides, and it has not compromised or prejudiced existing and prospective trade deals, including those recently concluded with India and the United States. Some compromises have been reached, diplomatic squares have been circled and, ironic as it is, Sir Keir has now secured some of the most luscious fruits of Brexit that the British people were promised – trade deals with other major economic players, but now alongside a closer relationship with Europe. The deal has been won with some considerable imagination and ingenuity on both sides, widening the relationship in defence and security, for example, while partnership could not easily be made much deeper economically, given the 'red lines' on both sides. In itself, it won't have a transformative economic effect; however, it reverses the previous momentum towards alienation, and adds the security and defence dimension – a priceless addition. Of course, no basket of free trade agreements struck by Britain, including this reset, can remotely compensate for the loss of markets and supply chains engendered by Brexit. Yet, with no prospect of reversing it in the near future, Sir Keir is right to try and 'make Brexit work'. Practically, there is no alternative, and this pragmatic premier wasn't going to allow his past passionate belief in Europe to prevent him from furthering the British national interest – and that includes deterring Russia. That extension of intergovernmental cooperation into defence and security was, in fact, first proposed by Theresa May as a clever way of balancing out the baleful impact of the Brexit referendum – but jettisoned, with his usual disregard for the true national interest (as opposed to his own career), by Mr Johnson. It is an area where European integration is more crucial than ever, but also one outside the formal structures of the European Union – and thus where other non-member states, such as Norway, can find a role. The national veto is, in effect, preserved. There's no possibility of a so-called European army fighting under the EU flag – though that would be no bad thing if it operated as a European arm of, or successor to, Nato, given American ambivalence about its commitments an ocean away. Indeed, if Nato does atrophy, a European replacement is essential. Politically, the reset also goes with the grain of British public opinion. Whatever else, few in the UK think that the answer to its economic problems is 'more Brexit' and making trade with Europe even more difficult in the name of some abstract – and mistaken – concept of absolute sovereignty. It is not too pretentious to suppose that the British people share with their prime minister a fundamentally pragmatic view of the world, and an impatience with dogma. Brexit was never a particularly popular project – the infamous 52-48 per cent split showed that, even at the time of the 2016 vote – and that expression of the 'will of the people' was a long while ago, and certainly not as fresh as Sir Keir's mandate for the Brexit reset. Besides, Brexit has proved at best a flop and, in its more grotesque moments, a clown show. The electorate has no wish to reopen the traumatic wounds suffered in the Brexit wars, but they would like to be friends with the neighbours, to trade more freely without fussing over the European Court of Justice, and to allow young people to travel, work, and study more easily. Sir Keir has made that possible. He deserves the credit for his personal diplomacy. If he were as good at getting things done at home as he is abroad, he could be much more confident about the prospects for his government. But, for now, he may be permitted a moment of celebration.
LBCI
19-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
EU, UK reach deal to 'reset' ties ahead of London summit: Diplomats
EU and UK negotiators have agreed on a deal to "reset" their relations post-Brexit, diplomats said Monday, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to host the bloc's chiefs at a London summit. EU diplomats said member states greenlit a trio of texts to be inked at the summit: a Security and Defense Partnership, a statement of EU-UK solidarity, and a Common Understanding on topics from trade to fishing and youth mobility. AFP
Sky News
19-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
UK-EU trade deal: What is in the Brexit reset agreement?
The UK and the EU have agreed a new trade deal - five years after Brexit kicked in. Following six months of talks after Sir Keir Starmer promised a fresh deal when he became prime minister last July, the two sides have come to an agreement. Here are the details: eGates British passport holders will be able to use more eGates in Europe to avoid the long border control queues that have become the norm since Brexit. They have not specified which countries. Pet travel Pet passports will be brought back so cats and dogs coming from the UK will no longer need pricey animal health certificates for every trip. After Brexit, pet owners had to get a certificate from a vet in the UK then a vet in the EU before returning. Red tape on food and drink sales A new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal has been agreed to reduce red tape currently needed to import and export food and drink between the UK and the EU. There is no time limit to this part of the deal, which the government says will reduce the burden on businesses and reduce lorry queues at the border. Some routine checks on animal and plant products will be removed completely - including between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The government says this could lower food prices and increase choice on supermarket shelves. Some British foods that have been prevented from being sold in the EU since Brexit will be allowed back in again, including burgers and sausages. Fishing rights The current fishing deal agreed in 2020 will continue for 12 years. There will be no increase in fish quotas. EU fishing vessels can fish in UK waters, but they require a valid licence, and there are annual negotiations on access and share of stock. The UK government has announced a £360m investment into the fishing industry to go towards new technology and equipment to modernise the fleet, train the workforce, help revitalise coastal communities, support tourism and boost seafood exports. Defence A new security and defence partnership has been agreed so the UK defence industry can participate in the EU's plan for a £150bn defence fund called Security Action for Europe (SAFE). This will support thousands of British jobs. 3:01 Carbon tax The deal will see closer co-operation on emissions by the UK and the EU, linking their own emissions trading systems. The UK's scheme sets a cap on the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions allowed from the power generation sector, energy-intensive industries and aviation, with companies issued allowances that they can trade with each other. Under the deal, UK businesses will avoid being hit by the EU's carbon tax, due to come in next year, which would have handed £800m to the EU. Steel British steel exports will be protected from new EU rules and tariffs to save UK steel £25m a year. Further talks: Youth mobility scheme The UK and the EU have agreed to more negotiations on a youth mobility scheme to allow people aged 18-30 in the UK and the EU to move freely between countries for a limited period. Catching criminals The two sides have agreed to enter talks about the UK having access to EU facial images data to help catch dangerous criminals. Migration
