What the EU really wants from Starmer for an even softer Brexit ...Middle East

Keir Starmer is going down well in Europe. Compared to what one leading EU politician has described as ‘The Ice Age’ of relations under Boris Johnson, Starmer’s language of rapprochement and detente is warmly welcomed across the Channel.

That detente was on display in London on Monday when Starmer told EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen th summit “marks a new era in our relationship”.

“We are turning a page. We are opening a new chapter in our unique relationship,” von der Leyen replied.

But beneath the bonhomie many in Europe believe the relationship has not gone far enough, and they now want to move things to the next level – and quickly.

Not only that, they believe the new post-Brexit deal with it’s 12-year fishing rights, plans for youth travel and joint defence, can only work if existing agreements are fully implemented. Which they are not. Crucially, it is the thorny issue of European nationals living in the UK that is subject to a dispute between the EU and Britain.

And in a move that may send shudders down some Brexiteer spines, one of the EU’s most influential MEPs says it’s time to let the EU Parliament in on the action.

Sandro Gozi is, in the way of convoluted European titles, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. In other words, he’s the chief go-between for MEPs and Britain’s MPs.

While he broadly welcomes the softer Brexit deal – describing it as “a very good starting basis” he warned that nothing will work unless previous agreements, such as the initial 2020 Brexit treaty – the Trade and Cooperation Agreement – are fully implemented.

“The credibility of the whole process relies on a proper and full implementation on citizens rights, on the functioning of the deal in Northern Ireland, on also a good implementation of the new commitment on food checks,” he told The i Paper. “There are many issues which are linked to TCA that either haven’t been implemented or just they’ve just been recently agreed,” he said.

While the two-sides have agreed the principal of a youth mobility scheme – or ‘youth experience’ as it’s been rebranded, the numbers, visa costs and length of stay are yet to be decided.

When he talks about citizen’s rights, Gozi is referring to the agreements that allow EU nationals to remain in the UK with ‘pre-settled status’, ‘settled status’ and subsequently to apply for citizenship.

The EU has already taken the UK to court over alleged breaches of this agreement, specifically unfair deportations and treatment of family members. The court as yet to rule.

And while the government clarified to The i Paper that EU citizens already in the UK with settled status won’t have to reapply to meet new tougher rules stating a migrant has to be in the UK for ten years rather than five in order to apply.

But whether they have to wait the full decade to apply for citizenship is still up in the air.

But on another contentious issue, Gozi said the joint pledge to “work towards” a scheme for 18 to 30-year-olds to travel and work more easily in each other’s countries that “much more work needs still to be done on youth mobility – we need to put some more flesh on the bones.”

He also criticised both Starmer and EU Council President Antonio Costa, who was also at the summit, for turning down his request for MPs and MEPs to be engaged in the process.

“I hope that this mistake will be corrected, because that is in the interest of both sides – of the EU institutions and the British government – that parliamentarians are fully involved in this summit.

“We hope that they can do better in the next summit, and we will insist on this,” he said.

A “great starting point” nonetheless

But overall Gozi was confident that Keir Starmer’s “win-win” deal is a “great starting point” for restoring relations between the two sides.

He was positive about the moves towards regular dialogue in security and defence, the deal on fisheries and the plans to remove checks on food exports.

“It is a very good starting basis,” said the former Italian minister, “because the cooperation can become a structure and the dialogue can become regular in areas of obvious and strong common interest.”

“The part on security and defence is absolutely necessary, and it makes sense to have the joint declaration looking at the geopolitical challenge we have. It is also very important to have the commitment to fully implement the existing agreement – as this really needs to be improved,” he added.

He also welcomed the commitments to structure the EU-UK partnership through meetings at the bilateral level and within multilateral forums like the United Nations, the G7 and NATO. “But we are just at the beginning of this – we should see much more closer consultation,” he added.

He said the eventual deal on one of the sticking points, to guarantee access for EU boats to UK waters for 12 years from mid-2026, “makes sense and reflects reality.”

Most of all, Gozi praised Starmer for transforming the relations between Brussels and London.

“We are shifting from the Ice Age, the freezing of the relationship under [former Prime Minister] Boris Johnson to a new a new era,” he said.

“The attitude, the language used, the will to listen to each other: this has all been a major shift. They really wanted to turn the page and today we turned the page. The page is not totally written, but it’s certainly a very good new beginning. Because the attitude of the Tories before then was very, very unhelpful, not only for us, but also for Britain.”

Gozi was echoed by analysts, who said Starmer was right to describe the summit as moving both sides on from the “stale old debates and political fights” of the Brexit era.

“It’s certainly a step forward,” said Fabian Zuleeg, chief executive at the European Policy Centre (EPC), a Brussels think tank. “We have seen that both sides are not only talking positively about it, but there seems to be a lot more coordination between them.

“We now have the right music. The question which will follow now is, what does that mean in practice? How do we translate that into concrete steps forward.”

Zuleeg said the key issue was whether the security and defence partnership that sets up closer relations in military training would lead to “a real coming together on Ukraine and on the European defence market.”

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He said this was the biggest test, given the situation in Ukraine and Donald Trump’s threats to pull back from the US’s NATO commitments.

“Is this actually going to happen? I think the signs are very good, because up to now, the UK and the EU have actually coordinated rather well. It’s been one area where there has been a meeting of the minds between where the EU wanted to go and where the UK wanted to go. Clearly, there’s no pressure now because of the stance the Trump administration is taking, but overall, I would expect that the coordination in this area is going to be very good.”

Another warning signal was run up the flag pole by Berlin-based analyst Nicolai von Ondarza, who pointed out the increase in co-operation was based on voluntary good will, not binding commitments.

“This is a substantial step forward, but only if followed through well,” said the an analyst at Berlin-based think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP).

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