London (EuroEFE).- The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, will meet this Wednesday in Brussels with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in order to lay the foundations for the new relationship between the United Kingdom and the Union European (EU).
In his first visit to the community capital since winning the elections on July 4, Starmer will also meet with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, and with the president of Parliament, Roberta Metsola, after which he is expected to make statements to the press.
With this trip, The Labor leader wants to start a process to improve ties with the bloceroded during years of tensions with successive conservative governments after the Brexit referendum in 2016.
You also want to make the departure of the United Kingdom from the EUconsummated in January 2020, “works for the British,” according to what he said in X, alluding to possible pacts that benefit both parties.
From Europeanist to pragmatist
Although in the past he was a fervent Europeanist, Starmer won the last elections with the promise – which he saw as necessary in order not to lose votes – not to reincorporate his country into either the single market or the community customs union, which will restrict his hand in any negotiations.
Its stated objectives are secure a veterinary agreement with the EU to reduce friction at border controlsanother to facilitate the touring of musicians and the reciprocal equivalence of professional qualifications.
There seem to be disagreements in the London Executive about how to approach a potential mobility pact, proposed by Brussels, so that young people from the EU and British can study and work in the respective territories.
Some Labor fear that such an alliance would undermine the goal of reducing net immigration and could also be perceived as a first step towards freedom of movement, a red line for most political parties in this country.
Although Starmer promoted bilateral rapprochements in his almost three months in charge with visits to countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Ireland, the Commission made it clear that any agreement must be with the entire bloc.
Review of the treaty in 2026
According to The Guardianthe prime minister aspires to open a path this Wednesday that could culminate in a more formal summit in the first half of 2025 with the leaders of the community institutions.
Some analysts believe that there would be the possibility of fine-tuning relations between the United Kingdom and the EU when it is time to review the Trade and Cooperation Agreement in 2026. (TCA, in English), signed with Brussels on December 30, 2020 by the Conservative Government of Boris Johnson and which came into force on May 1, 2021.
Although community sources indicated that the review every five years of this treaty – different from the withdrawal or Brexit of January 2020 – should focus on its application and not the content, other experts believe that there is room for changes in the trade sections. of services and cooperation in law enforcement.
Starmer will want to explore opportunities to facilitate the trade relationship, given that his Government’s priority is to promote economic growth in the United Kingdom, which suffered a severe blow when leaving the EU by losing access to its main market.
Editing by Sandra Municio
