Five years after Brexit, the United Kingdom and the European Union will hold an unprecedented summit in London, aimed at laying the foundations for closer relations, especially in the field of defense, AFP commented.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who promised to "reboot" cooperation with the EU when he came to power in July last year, hosting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.
This summit is an opportunity for the Labour leader to give concrete expression to his desire for closer ties with Brussels and turn the page on the long-standing tension between the 27 and previous Conservative governments related to Brexit, which took place on January 31, 2020.
Since then, the war sparked by Russia in Ukraine and the risk of an American withdrawal from the European continent have strengthened the desire of London and Brussels to establish closer defense ties. Although the atmosphere between the two countries has warmed, the talks are not easy: they have become tense over issues such as fishing quotas and youth mobility.
Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen held talks in Albania on Friday on the sidelines of a summit of the European Political Community (EPC) to try to iron out differences. The British leader promised a deal that would be "good for jobs, bills and borders" for the United Kingdom. However, the contours of this agreement remain unclear and negotiations continued throughout the day on Sunday.
The leaders are expected to announce a partnership in the field of defense and security, to sign a document setting out a common vision on key global issues, and another in which they list the issues on which they intend to make progress in the coming months.
The defense pact will allow the United Kingdom to participate in EU ministerial meetings and to join some European military missions, in addition to the serious joint commitments already made with EU countries that are members of NATO.
The stakes for London are also economic, as its companies will have access to a future European program worth 150 billion euros aimed at developing the EU's defense industrial base. Participation in this program, however, will require another agreement at a later stage, as well as a British financial contribution.
In addition to defense, the Labour government, which is seeking to boost trade penalized by the bureaucracy created by Brexit, has hinted that it is open to dynamic alignment with EU standards for food and agricultural products.
But some EU countries have put other demands on the table, such as renewed access for European fishermen to British waters and a reciprocal mobility program for young people aged between 18 and 30 to study and work in the UK and the EU.
These are sensitive issues for the British side, especially with the rise to power of the Europhobic, anti-immigration "Reformist Unity" party, led by former Brexit champion Nigel Farage. Keir Starmer wants to avoid anything that would increase the number of legal immigration he has promised to reduce.