What Britain and the EU May Discuss at Monday Summit

A fan of Britain poses outside the venue for the grand final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel, Switzerland, 17 May 2025. (EPA)
A fan of Britain poses outside the venue for the grand final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel, Switzerland, 17 May 2025. (EPA)
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What Britain and the EU May Discuss at Monday Summit

A fan of Britain poses outside the venue for the grand final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel, Switzerland, 17 May 2025. (EPA)
A fan of Britain poses outside the venue for the grand final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel, Switzerland, 17 May 2025. (EPA)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome European Union leaders to London on Monday to help reset relations with the bloc, with both sides aiming to secure progress in some specific areas while other issues will remain off-limits.

Below is a list of issues that could be discussed.

DEFENSE AND SECURITY PACT

Britain's Labour government wants to pursue a defense and security pact that previous Conservative governments opted not to seek when Brexit was first negotiated.

Both sides agree it is imperative for Europe to work more closely together on defense, given Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calls by US President Donald Trump for NATO's European members to shoulder more of the burden of the alliance.

Britain could try to negotiate access for UK companies to joint defense projects under Security Action For Europe - an EU loan scheme worth 150 billion euros ($168 billion) - and how much it will have to pay for that access. This could also facilitate greater foreign policy co-ordination.

But such an agreement may be contingent on other areas such as fish.

SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY

Labor has positioned a veterinary agreement with the EU that is aimed at preventing unnecessary border checks as central to its planned EU reset.

Any deal would maintain high food standards, which Britain also insisted were not lowered in its discussions with the US to remove tariffs.

The EU is likely to ask Britain for dynamic alignment with its sanitary and phytosanitary rules and a role for the European Court of Justice, which Starmer could agree to, according to think tank UK in a Changing Europe.

The more likely scenario at this summit is that both sides agree on a future framework for negotiations, rather than reach a final agreement.

MOBILITY

A youth mobility scheme to make it easier for under-30s to travel and work between Britain and the EU is a priority for the bloc.

Starmer's government has said this will not be a return to freedom of movement, but to a controlled amount of people, with a likely limit on how many can use it and how long they can stay. Campaign group Best for Britain said two-thirds of Britons support a scheme with a two-year limit.

British participation in the Erasmus+ student exchange program could also be discussed in future.

And Britain is hoping to secure access to faster e-gates at EU airports for British travelers.

FISHERIES

Provisions covering fishing and energy are due to expire in 2026, and need to be extended or renegotiated over the next year.

The post-Brexit trade agreement transferred existing quotas to the bloc for a transition period, after which they would be negotiated on an annual or multi-annual basis.

EU diplomats have said that a fisheries deal should be the same length as any agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, to ensure equal leverage during any renegotiations, while France is pushing for any defense deal to be contingent on a fisheries agreement.

Fishing has long been a source of tension. The EU has taken Britain to court over its ban of fishing for sand eels in UK waters.

ELECTRICITY

Britain left the EU's internal energy market after Brexit, but the UK's energy industry is pushing for more efficient and closer electricity trading arrangements with the bloc.

Britain imported around 14% of its electricity in 2024, a record high, through power links with Belgium, Denmark, France and Norway.

CARBON MARKETS

Many EU and British businesses have called for the EU and UK carbon markets to be linked. They already collaborate on charging power plants and other industrial entities for their carbon emissions to reach climate targets.

Industry analysts have said linking the two carbon markets would likely drive up UK prices, which are lower than the EU, to EU levels.

But energy firms say it will save costs for consumers, improve market liquidity, and help Britain to avoid penalties under Europe's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which from 2026 will impose fees on EU imports of steel, cement, aluminium, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen.

OTHER AREAS

The mutual recognition of certain professional qualifications, changes to ease travel for touring artists, and data-sharing are all areas where Britain and the EU may seek to pursue future agreement.



Johnny Moore… What Do We Know About Chairman of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

People carrying boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation last month in Rafah, in southern Gaza. (AP)
People carrying boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation last month in Rafah, in southern Gaza. (AP)
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Johnny Moore… What Do We Know About Chairman of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

People carrying boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation last month in Rafah, in southern Gaza. (AP)
People carrying boxes and bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation last month in Rafah, in southern Gaza. (AP)

As the world condemned the killings this week of dozens of hungry Palestinians near US-backed aid sites in Gaza, the group responsible for distributing that aid quietly appointed a new leader: an evangelical Christian with ties to the Trump administration.

The group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was founded last year, announced on Tuesday that Johnnie Moore, an American public relations professional, would be its new executive chairman after the previous chief quit.

Moore’s appointment comes as the foundation, which began handing out food boxes last week, temporarily halted operations on Wednesday to work on “organization and efficiency.”

It had been racked by a resignation in its ranks, chaos at its distribution sites and violence nearby, including two shooting episodes in which dozens of Palestinians were killed, according to local health workers.

Here is what to know about Moore and his ties to the Trump administration.

A presence in the Oval Office

Moore was a spokesman for Liberty University, the Christian institution founded in Lynchburg, Virginia., in 1971 by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, for a dozen years before moving into the media industry and starting his own faith-based public relations firm.

He represented early evangelical supporters of President Trump, including Jerry Falwell Jr, who succeeded his father at Liberty University, and Paula White, who now leads the White House faith office.

Moore was co-chairman of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign’s evangelical advisory board and an influential figure during Trump’s first administration. He was part of a coalition of Christian leaders who paid regular visits to the White House, attending policy briefings, as well as prayer meetings in the Oval Office.

His public relations company, Kairos, was acquired in 2022 by JDA Worldwide, and Moore now serves as president of that larger firm.

When he announced the acquisition on social media, Moore referred to his work in public relations as his “day job” as he has had many other roles and projects linked to his faith and interest in foreign policy, including writing books on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa.

In 2017, Moore told The New York Times that he and other evangelicals had pressed Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and to move the US Embassy there. “It has been an issue of priority for a long time,” he said.

Moore describes himself as “a bridge builder and peacemaker especially known for consequential work at the intersection of faith and foreign policy, especially in the Middle East.”

The embassy move drew condemnation from Palestinian and Arab leaders, the heads of many Christian churches in Jerusalem and much of the international community, which has long viewed the status of Jerusalem as a matter to be resolved through negotiations over a future Palestinian state.

A cheerleader for Mike Huckabee

Moore, like many evangelicals, including Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, is committed to a Jewish state based on his interpretation of the Bible.

Some evangelicals view their support for Israel as an important element of their belief in biblical prophecy. Speaking to The Washington Post in 2018, Moore said he had advised White House officials that “those who bless Israel will be blessed.”

Moore cheered Huckabee’s nomination, saying on social media in November that “selecting a lifelong non-Jewish Zionist as the US ambassador to Israel sends a powerful message to friend and foe of America.”

Huckabee, 69, and Moore, 41, have walked similar paths as public figures and Christian media creators, and they have been described as friends in Israeli news media. The embassy did not respond to a request for comment on their relationship.

The new face of a troubled Gaza organization

Israel imposed a blockade on supplies entering the Gaza Strip in March, accusing Hamas of looting humanitarian aid. That embargo was lifted to a limited degree last month, after the international community raised alarms about widespread hunger in the enclave.

Israelis conceived of the new system to establish aid distribution sites run by American security contractors in the enclave. It was meant, officials said, to circumvent Hamas, which Israel accused of stealing assistance meant for civilians.

But the rollout of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s operation has been chaotic. Its previous head resigned hours before the initiative was set to begin late last month, citing a lack of autonomy.

On Tuesday, Boston Consulting Group, a US advisory firm, said that it had stepped back from its involvement with the organization, that it had placed a partner who had worked on the project on leave and that it would conduct an internal review of its work.

Humanitarian organizations have criticized the foundation’s approach to aid distribution for a lack of independence from Israel, whose soldiers are positioned near the sites and have fired what the Israeli military has called “warning” shots on multiple occasions.

And the United Nations has refused to have anything to do with the effort because it says Israel is militarizing and politicizing humanitarian assistance and putting Palestinians in danger.

As reports of disarray at aid distribution sites emerged during the project’s first week, Moore said the effort was “working” and should be “celebrated.”

When the Gazan health authorities reported shooting deaths near one of the foundation’s sites, Moore reposted a statement from Huckabee accusing the news media and Hamas of spreading misinformation.

Moore lists 18 years of service with World Help, a Christian humanitarian organization, among his volunteer experiences, along with his new appointment at the Gaza foundation and his roles on various advisory boards, including that of the nonpartisan advocacy group Muslim Coalition for America and Haifa University in Israel.

In a statement about his appointment, Moore said he would help “ensure the humanitarian aid community and the broader international community understand what’s taking place on the ground.” The foundation declined a request for an interview.

*Ephrat Livni is a reporter for The New York Times’ DealBook newsletter, based in Washington.