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.



Palestinians Hold Mixed Views as France Prepares to Recognize State

 Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Palestinians Hold Mixed Views as France Prepares to Recognize State

 Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Protesters hold a Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Santiago, Chile July 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Palestinians expressed mixed opinions Friday after French President Emmanuel Macron said he would recognize a Palestinian state, with enthusiasm mitigated by the world’s failure to stem suffering in Gaza.

“We hope it will be implemented, and we hope that most or all countries around the world will follow France’s lead in recognizing the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state,” said Nabil Abdel Razek, a resident of Ramallah, home to the Palestinian Authority.

Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the PA was intended to be a building bloc toward the establishment of a state.

At a newsagent in the central square of the West Bank city, several front-page headlines mentioned President Emmanuel Macron’s late Thursday evening announcement.

“All of these decisions not only affirm the rights of the Palestinian people, but also contribute to changing the violent reality in the region and lead to greater stability,” said Ahmed Ghoneim, a political activist, as he headed off to a demonstration in solidarity with Gaza.

Ghoneim said he also hopes France’s move will inspire other European countries, given that at least 142 of the 193 UN member states recognize a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.

But analysts are more cautious.

“The question for Palestinians is what will France do NOW about Israel starving them in Gaza,” Nour Odeh, a political commentator, wrote on X.

Others also agreed the main issue for Palestinians is Gaza.

“What France should have recognized is the genocide and taken measures to end it and end the occupation,” said Ines Abdel Razek, co-director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD).

In an interview with AFP, she said France should cut relations with Israel and impose a trade embargo.

“An example of a brave gesture is the Colombian president asking his army to block boats transporting energy and arms to Israel,” she said.

While saying France’s promise is just “symbolic,” Samer Sinijlawi, another political activist, noted Macron’s call for elections in the Palestinian territories and said this “brings us hope.”