Ben Chu, Tom Esington, Tamara Kobasevic
BBC verification
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A contract to “reset” relationships between the UK and the post-Brexit EU was agreed at the London summit.
The contract covers a variety of issues, including defense, fishing, food trading, and the ability of young people to move freely between the UK and the EU.
BBC Verify has picked out potential winners and losers and went through the deal.
food
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Winner: UK food exporters to the EU can make less checks
Loser: Those who don’t want the UK to follow EU rules because they have a string attached
Since Brexit, UK goods travelling to the EU, including food, have faced new checks and additional documents.
Some items, such as the export of raw UK burgers and sausages, are prohibited from entering the EU as they do not meet strict import regulations.
UK food exports to the EU have declined – 34% in 2024 compared to 2019. The industry is partially denounced the additional deficit.
Today, both sides agree to work on a joint food safety agreement that will eliminate many of the current barriers.
If signed and fully implemented, it can reduce documents, make checks easier, and even raise the ban on products such as raw meat.
Food and drink exports to the EU in 2023 were worth £14 billion, accounting for 57% of overseas sales in all sectors.
However, transactions are subject to conditions. The UK must follow future EU food standards, a system known as “dynamic alignment,” and accept that the European Court of Justice has final say in any dispute in this field.
The UK must also make an economic contribution. However, it is currently unclear how much this is and when it will be needed.
fishing
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Winner: EU-fishing boats will have access to British waters for another 12 years
Loser: British fisherman hoping to negotiate annual fishing access
Fisheries are a very small portion of the UK economy, but only 0.04% of GDP in 2024, but are politically sensitive.
“Reset” document note The “Political Agreement” is a “12-year extension of the current deal negotiated by Boris Johnson’s conservative government) leading to full mutual access to water to fish until June 30, 2038, much longer than expected.
Under existing contracts (as it expired in 2026), EU ships can access British waters in exchange for transferring 25% of their fish to fish (the amount allowed to be caught) to the British fleet.
Some UK fishing groups have criticised existing deals and do not wish it had been expanded.
“The deal is a horror show for Scottish fishermen and is far worse than Boris Johnson’s failed Brexit agreement,” said Elspeth MacDonald, who represents 450 fishing boats as the chief executive of the Scotland’s Federation of Fishermen.
She says long-term deals will deprive the industry of negotiating power in future consultations and prefer annual negotiations with the EU.
Prime Minister Kiel said “the amount of EU vessels can catch in British waters will not increase,” and that British fishermen will be able to export their products.
In 2023, the UK exported 1.2 billion pounds of fish to the EU, which is about 70% of all fish exports.
Tavish Scott of Scottish Scott, the leading Scottish salmon agriculture, says the agreement to reduce checks will “speed up the delivery of premium salmon to the market.”
Young people’s mobility
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Winner: UK and EU young people can be more free to study between the two if this is confirmed
Loser: Opponents against an increase in net transition to the UK point out that mobility schemes can affect immigration figures, but this effect may be temporary
Details here are still confirmed, but the winner will be able to make it easier for young people from both the UK and the EU to work and study in Europe and the UK. Other youth mobility schemes focus on people aged 18-30.
However, the impact of what is called the “youth experience scheme” may be heterogeneous.
Before Brexit, many young people from the EU came to the UK.
And don’t forget that Sir Kiel has committed to “significantly” reduction in immigration levels over the next few years. Therefore, there is a major question mark as to how the UK EU scheme can have on the level of immigration in the UK.
Madeleine’s samping from the University of Oxford Immigration Observatory confirmed to the BBC that the scheme is likely to increase net migration in the short term as new participants arrive.
However, she adds that if everyone leaves the UK when their visa expires, the long-term impact on the level of travel will be minimized.
“If the UK is worried about the impact, it could potentially increase quotas in the scheme, step by step, step by step, step by step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step, and step, so when people leave, quotas can be raised, not everything comes at once,” she said.
eggate
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Winner: British tourists may be able to use EGGATE at EU airports, but no one knows which one
Loser: Those hoping to escape the long line this summer
As part of the agreement, UK citizens will be able to use EGATE at EU airports rather than manually checking by border officers.
The government said: “British villas will be able to use more measures in Europe and end the horrifying queues with border control.”
However, the text of the EU-UK agreement is less clear, only mentioning “the potential use of the scale as needed.”
Travel organization ABTA told BBC Verify that none of the changes is likely to take place by summer.
The ABTA believes that once the new Entry/Exit System (EES) comes into effect in October, it makes clear that EU countries can offer acquisitions to British citizens.
EES is an automated IT system that allows all non-EU travelers to register for short-term stays every time they cross an external EU border.
Whether or not British passengers avoid border guards entirely depends on technology at border intersections, Abta says.
defense
Winner: UK defence companies may acquire contracts from new EU recontract funds
Loser: EU defence companies that wanted to earn more of these revenues
The EU will establish a European Fund (SAFE) security litigation with a 150 billion euro (£126 billion) loan backed by the EU budget, enabling member states to have REIM.
This was to be spent on an EU-based defense company. The fund also allows for the involvement of many non-EU countries and could still be opened to British defence companies. This could allow EU companies to use the fund to purchase kits from the UK.
The UK has a larger defence manufacturing industry than many EU states, and the sector directly employs around 164,00 people in the UK.
Between 2020 and 2024, the UK is estimated by Stockholm International Peace Institute to account for around 3.6% of the world’s annual arms exports, making it the seventh largest national exporter.
Again, details are still settled here and we don’t know exactly when and how the UK will join the fund.
