The first bilateral summit between the United Kingdom and the European Union from the British departure from the community bloc will take place next Monday. The meeting will feature the participation of the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer; the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa; and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The agenda contemplates progress in issues such as cooperation in defense, access to fishing waters and youth mobility. The teams of both parties have held previous meetings during the last weeks to prepare the agreements that would be announced within the framework of the meeting.
One of the main objectives is to consolidate new cooperation mechanisms in security and defense. To do this, the adoption of a joint declaration and the signing of a memorandum of understanding are expected, whose conditions are still in negotiation.
Among the points that have not yet been closed is the access of the fishing fleet of the European Union to British waters once the current agreement ends in 2026. The Union has insisted on obtaining guarantees on this subject, although from Brussels it has been indicated that this point would not stop the progress of other pacts.
The conversations will continue during the weekend in order to meet the main documents agreed. From both parties, the interest of establishing a new relationship frame after several years of tension has been expressed.
The British government arrives at this event after completing trade agreements with the United States and India. In parallelthe European Union has conversations with these same countries, although without definitive results so far.
During the recent summit of the European political community, held in Tirana, the British Prime Minister said that several of the current challengessuch as security, migration and economic growth, require coordination between governments. The appointment in London seeks to establish a road map in that regard.
