“We turn the page,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday after BLOC’s first summit with the UK since Brexit. “I’m opening a new chapter.”
It is not the first page submitted during the post-Brexit period, but it is potentially most important.
Now, both sides have attacked transactions covering fishing, trade, defense, energy and strengthened relationships in many policy areas that are still rising for negotiations.
For Brussels, the negotiations were an opportunity to bring Britain (the main defence) closer to an era of geopolitical turbulence.
It also addresses what some member states consider to be an exciting hangover from Brexit.
According to one EU diplomat, over the years, when looking at the Brexit settlements broadly, there was the idea that “don’t touch it.”
It all relates to “too much politics.”
Until the 2023 Windsor Framework Agreement, we must not forget that London and Brussels were stuck in a long-term conflict over the Northern Ireland trade agreement.
Then, in 2024, the more EU-friendly Labour Party gained power in the UK.
Officials in Brussels have long been angry in the previous conservative administration, the party with Brexit conditions for vocalists.
Some Brexit supporters are now denounced deals that say it will sell out sovereignty over EU officials.
However, Brussels’ diplomats argue that this is the “normalization” of relationships between neighbors who still see the world in a much more similar way.
That being said, I was clearly pleased to have been trapped in a fishing assignment for 12 years in the EU circle.
When I checked out one diplomat about the details, they first responded with smiley face emojis.
Another said: “This transaction is balanced – perhaps in favor of the EU – and simply shows that great isolation is not an option in today’s climate.”
Of course, the EU would like to emphasize “winning” in negotiations with former member states that have seriously shaken the bloc by leaving.
Nevertheless, coastal countries, particularly France, will be satisfied that for now they do not have to withstand annual fish quotas.
Ultimately, it’s Quid Pro Quo. The EU has acquired fishing. In return, it will be easier for UK companies to export Agri-Food products, but the factors are not yet determined.
The youth mobility plans are also not yet resolved. This makes it easier for young people to study and work between the UK and the EU.
This was a particularly important goal for a country like Germany, and was eager to gain better access to English-speaking countries with prestigious universities.
Another important point for Berlin was the new defense and security partnership.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump’s unpredictable White House have torn European security rules apart.
Time has been like a healer, but recent events have also created a sense of urgency.
A better relationship with the UK, which remains a major defensive player, is easier than ever for mainland Europe, looking to expand its investment and capabilities.
Countries like Germany have recently achieved their 2% NATO spending target, but are keenly aware that their exposure is being exposed by the dramatic global developments in recent years.
But of course, most of this transaction is generally agreed. Statement of intent on issues across cybersecurity, energy and transition.
“I think that’s a good step,” another EU diplomat told me. “It’s good to test the water for real cooperation and what we can do. Let’s take that from there.”
Brussels still has careful vigilance over the UK’s difficult and divisive debate about its relationship with the EU.
All the details that have not yet been negotiated, whether it is a political compromise or a cost, could spark further political storms.
This “reset” may not change the big fundamentals of Brexit – the UK continues to fall outside the single market and customs union, but we promise London and Brussels will talk more as they try to fill in many gaps on this long list of ambitions.
This means that diplomatic traffic will increase in the future between the UK and the EU.
Doing more business with Brussels necessarily means talking more. In that respect, today is just the beginning.
