EU and UK negotiators have reached agreement on a deal to “reset” their relations post-Brexit, diplomats said on Monday, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to host the bloc’s chiefs at a London summit.
EU diplomats said member states greenlit a trio of texts to be inked at the summit: a Security and Defence Partnership, a statement of EU-UK solidarity, and a Common Understanding on topics from trade to fishing and youth mobility.
Talks ran into Sunday night to resolve squabbling over key sticking points — with the sensitive matter of fishing rights top of the list.
Under the final agreement, Britain will keep its waters open for European fishermen for 12 years after the current deal expires in 2026, in return for the bloc indefinitely easing red tape on food imports from the UK.
On the matter of youth mobility — another main source of friction with London fearing any such scheme could spell a return to freedom of movement between the EU and UK — negotiators agreed to general wording that leaves the haggling for later.
More to follow…
