Brussels warned the UK that it must implement the existing Brexit agreements regarding Northern Ireland, and the rights for EU citizens in Britain, if it wanted to improve its relationship with the bloc.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir starmer, has stated that his government is seeking to improve the UK’s relationship with the EU by establishing a broad-based security agreement.
The European Commission, however, has released a list with eight demands that the UK should meet to “demonstrate a real UK commitment” in honouring the Brexit divorce agreement it signed with Brussels.
The EU diplomats have described the tough stance of the European Commission as a test of “good faith” for the new relationship. This includes requests that elements of existing Brexit agreements be fully implemented, including those on Northern Ireland rights and EU citizens in Britain.
Brussels has also stated that it will fully implement a UK High Court decision, which stated that EU citizens who live in Britain shouldn’t have to submit a separate “settled-status” application after they complete the five years required of residency in the UK.
Maros Sifcovic, EU commissioner, raised the concerns of the bloc directly with Nick Thomas-Symonds (UK’s EU Relations Minister), during his first trip to Brussels, 15 July, following Labour’s win in the UK General Election.
Both and stressed that they were committed to restarting the relationship after the meeting. However, EU diplomats stated that the commission’s insistence on holding the UK to its previous agreements so quickly demonstrated the underlying approach of the commission.
Thomas-Symonds said in a recently conducted interview he wanted to have a “structured dialog” with Brussels, as part of his plans to strengthen ties regarding security, energy, and trade. However, a senior EU official stated that the commission is “lukewarm”.
In a further signal of intent, the commission last week also It’s crucial that this reset works.
A second diplomat said that the timing of this announcement was “very bad”. He added that many officials in the commission dealing with Britain had developed a bunker-like mentality, after eight years of dealing with Conservative governments unwilling to keep their word. “We need a new way of thinking.”
Starmer has promised to repair the relationship between the UK and Europe since taking office. The former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had partially repaired the relationship when he brokered a framework agreement on Northern Ireland in Windsor last year.
The custom deal contains a number of special dispensations to eliminate the appearance of an Irish Sea trade border. The EU paper claims that the UK has not implemented the agreement properly.
The paper expresses concern about the UK authorities’ failure to accurately certify plant and animal products. It also requests that noncompliant consignments be rejected by border vets. And it calls for an urgent scheme to check pet shipments, while a new system to provide information on the contents of parcels should be implemented “without delay”.
EU nations with large populations of citizens in the UK also demand better treatment. They warn that their citizens have been denied jobs and rental properties because of uncertainty over their immigration status.
One diplomat stated that “this needs to be resolved before we can talk about new areas of co-operation.”
The EU priorities, according to several diplomats and government officials, are to reach a deal on mobility that allows young people to study and work in the UK; to get the UK back into the Erasmus student exchange program; and to continue access to the UK’s fishing waters beyond 2026.
The UK Cabinet Office stated that it would not make any comments on leaks. However, the Cabinet Office did say that the government is working to reset its relationship with Europe through a new security agreement and measures to lower trade barriers with the EU.
A spokesperson said, “We have had a very positive response in our initial conversations and we are committed to implementing withdrawal agreement including the Windsor Framework in good faith in order to protect the UK internal markets.”
The EU said that it was committed to a positive agenda for the UK, on the basis of full respect and faithful and timely implementation, both of the withdrawal agreement and the Windsor Framework, as well as the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. These are the cornerstones of the EU-UK relation.
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