There is an opportunity for the European Union and the British government to make “rapid progress” agreeing to closer co-operation on defence and foreign policy, a senior German MEP has said.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer are due to meet in Brussels on Wednesday, as the new Labour government has raised hopes for a reset of previously tense relations with the EU.
David McAllister, a German MEP who chairs the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said the two sides could make “rapid progress” on defence co-operation, if they wanted.
“The European Union has always made it clear we will not negotiate previously agreed treaties,” he said. However, defence and security had been the missing “chapter” in the deal covering Britain’s exit from the union, he said.
The EU and the UK already worked closely together when it came to support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. A formalised defence agreement could include better co-ordination on sanctions, as well as closer involvement of the UK in the EU’s plans to boost the European defence industry, he said.
Mr McAllister, a member of the centre right Christian Democratic Union, said in the end the Starmer government would be judged “on their willingness to compromise”. It was “disappointing” that the UK government said it was not considering rejoining the Erasmus programme, which lets university students study abroad for a year.
European Commission officials have both publicly and privately played down expectations of any big announcement arising from Mr Starmer’s meeting with Dr von der Leyen. The meeting would be “the beginning of a conversation,” a commission spokesman said.
“The word reset is being used by both sides, so it will be an opportunity to discuss a possible way forward,” he said.
Other possible areas of co-operation include a veterinary trade agreement to remove checks on the movement of livestock and food between Britain and the EU, and a deal making it easier for young people to move between the two to study or work.
To date Mr Starmer has been cautious about talk of an agreement on youth mobility, for fear of it being criticised as a return to freedom of movement between the EU.
Many EU officials whose work covers post-Brexit relations believe an agreement on defence and security would be the low hanging fruit, with deals in other areas more politically fraught.
A meeting of EU ambassadors from 27 member states on Monday was broadly positive about the prospect for warmer relations with the UK, according to two sources briefed on the discussion. Several ambassadors made the point during the meeting that the EU needed to ensure its existing agreements with the UK were being adhered to, the sources said.
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