The 19th May EU/UK Summit: A Major Step Toward Resetting Relations

The EU-UK summit on 19 May marks the first serious effort to improve trading relations since the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020.

Both sides are under pressure to mitigate the potential economic damage caused by looming US tariffs. Despite their differences, they share common challenges — sluggish economic growth, tensions with Russia, ageing populations, and rising immigration — creating a shared incentive to strengthen ties.

This summit is set to become a key milestone in the ongoing negotiations aimed at “resetting” the relationship. Talks are already well advanced, with numerous issues on the table. As is customary in EU negotiations, the principle of “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” applies. Broadly, the discussions fall into three main categories:

1. Foreign and Security Policy
Amid growing doubts about the strength of the US commitment to Europe, the EU is seeking a security and defence partnership with the UK, which could include British security guarantees for the EU. A more contentious point is the UK’s potential participation in new EU defence procurement schemes, which will provide up to €800 billion for member states. British defence suppliers are eager to access these opportunities.

2. Citizens and Mobility
The EU has proposed a youth mobility scheme for 18- to 30-year-olds, but the UK remains cautious, wary of measures that might increase immigration. Nevertheless, there is a strong likelihood that some form of agreement will be reached.

The UK, for its part, is seeking more flexible EU visa arrangements for touring artists and has requested access to the Schengen Information System (SIS), which contains criminal record data. However, given that both sides are preparing to implement pre-authorisation e-visas (the UK’s ETA and the EU’s ETIAS), and that criminal records can be used to deny entry, this may prove difficult. Without mutual exemptions, an agreement on SIS access appears unlikely — though not impossible.

The UK may also push for a returns agreement to address illegal Channel crossings, while the EU hopes the UK will rejoin the Erasmus university exchange scheme.

3. Economy and Trade
The most significant and potentially transformative pillar concerns an agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, which regulate food and animal health. Aligning these standards would significantly reduce customs friction at the border and open up much greater access for British farmers to the EU market. However, this would require the UK to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in these areas, align with future EU regulations without having a formal say, and potentially reverse recent legal changes allowing gene editing, which remains banned in the EU.

Further economic alignment is also on the table. The UK and EU may coordinate their Emissions Trading System (ETS) schemes and the UK could join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention on rules of origin, both of which would facilitate smoother trade flows.

Fisheries remain a thorny issue. The EU — particularly France and Spain — is seeking greater access to UK waters and has linked this to UK access to EU defence procurement schemes. However, a deal may be possible, as Brexit has left British vessels unable to process catches in EU ports, creating a mutual incentive to resolve the issue.

Outlook
The mood in Brussels is cautiously optimistic. Negotiations are progressing quickly, and while setbacks are inevitable in any major trade discussion, the prevailing view is that an agreement covering these areas is likely in the near future.