Britain has rerouted its relationship with the European Union (EU) after five years of 'Brexit.' The UK and the EU have agreed to strengthen partnerships across multiple areas, including political and economic cooperation, as well as defense and security collaboration.
On the 19th (local time), major foreign news outlets, including the BBC, reported that the UK government and the EU signed a new agreement concerning enhanced security and defense cooperation, collaboration against geopolitical challenges, and a shared understanding of various issues. Attending the summit held that day in London were UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and António Costa, the rotating president of the EU.
With the signing of this agreement, the UK has rerouted its significant relationship with the EU, five years after the 'Brexit' was enacted in 2020. Reuters assessed that this would be 'the most important milestone' in the rerouting of relations between the two sides since the UK's departure from the EU in 2020 after intense negotiations.
The agreement consists of three main elements: cooperation in defense and security, collaboration against geopolitical challenges such as threats from Russia, and a shared understanding of various issues.
The UK and the EU agreed to establish cooperation platforms across various fields, including maritime and space security, in addition to information sharing to strengthen the defense and security partnership. In particular, they are exploring ways for the UK to participate in the EU's 'rearmament plan.' Consequently, it seems the UK will be able to participate in the EU's defense vice-minister program worth €150 billion (about 235 trillion won).
Cooperation will also take place in the fields of economy and trade. The UK and the EU plan to extend the existing fishing agreement, which is set to expire next year, until 2038. In exchange, they agreed to ease quarantine measures on agricultural and fishery export items. Although the UK was hesitant to extend the fishing rights for EU vessels in its waters for an extended period, it decided to open fishing rights for the sake of easing quarantine on agricultural products and energy cooperation.
Moreover, both sides agreed to make joint efforts in the future to promote educational exchanges between UK students and EU students, as well as to enhance youth mobility. Concerning immigration, the UK and the EU acknowledged the need to work together to prevent illegal and unlawful crossings of the English Channel and recognized the necessity of cooperating with countries of origin and transit.