Monday’s deal between the UK and the EU has been almost a year in the making but it is long on hope and short on concrete changes that will happen immediately.
It is being billed by Keir Starmer as a hat-trick after his India and US deals, and a “new chapter” in the relations between the UK and the EU by the European Council president, António Costa.
In reality, the deal will mean months and possibly a year of negotiations, paving the way for many things, including the return of cheese and sausage exports for small businesses, the prospect of Erasmus study for British students, and new police cooperation to combat drugs. Here are its main provisions and their implications:
Food and drink exports and imports – fewer checks
This is possibly the biggest reset in the relationship and will draw accusations that the UK is once again becoming a “rule-taker” from the EU, with the Conservatives already arguing the deal is a “surrender”.
Under the deal, both sides have agreed to remove the need for health and veterinary certification, known as sanitary and phytosanitary checks (SPS), on exports of farm products ranging from fresh meat and dairy products to vegetables, timber, wool and leather,
At a stroke it will mean small scale cheese and sausage makers will once again be able to sell into the EU without health certification, something that killed off many small businesses including wool-sellers in Devon and cheese-makers in Yorkshire.
It will also be a big win for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, reducing the checks on fresh food going from GB into NI, and will allow Irish beef and cheese-sellers to export to the UK once again without veterinary certification.
Nevertheless, the UK will remain outside the customs union, and Brexit customs declarations will remain. Nor does there seem to be any movement on dual regulation on medicines, veterinary medicines or chemicals, such as paint or household cleaning products.
The communique says: “The SPS agreement should cover sanitary, phytosanitary, food safety and general consumer protection rules applicable to the production, distribution and consumption of agrifood products, the regulation of live animals and pesticides, the rules on organics as well as marketing standards applicable to certain sectors or products.”
Fisheries
The EU and UK have agreed to roll over the existing fishing deal for another 12 years, until 2038, providing access to UK waters for EU fishers.
But crucially, the food and drinks deal means that the fish caught in British waters can now be processed and sold into the EU without veterinary checks, eliminating huge costs created by Brexit.
It also opens the door for shellfish – from crabs and mussels, to shrimp and shrimp products – to be sold into the EU, allowing fish to be caught in the EU, for example in the Irish sea, and processed in Great Britain.
These SPS easements are potentially a big bounce for exporters, given that 70% of seafood caught in the UK is sold in EU shops and restaurants.
Youth exchanges and Erasmus is set to return for British students
The deal to allow young people from both the UK and the EU member states visit or work in each other’s countries for a limited period of time goes further than expected.
In a big win for the EU, it includes a commitment to look at rejoining the Erasmus+ university and vocational exchange programme, something Labour had objected to, largely on the grounds of cost as more EU students tended to go to British universities than Britons went to EU institutions, opening a financial burden to impoverished universities.
The communique says: “The specific terms of this association, including mutually agreed financial terms, should be determined as part of that process in order to ensure a fair balance as regards the contributions of and benefits to the United Kingdom.”
As expected the youth mobility scheme will be named the “youth experience” scheme to launder some of the toxicity accumulated by the four-year YMS proposed by the European Commission as far back as April 2024.
Details have yet to be agreed, but as part of the “common understanding”, both sides will work towards a scheme that will allow work, study, au pairing, volunteering or travelling for a limited period under a visa programme.
The time limit has not been specified but it is expected to be at least a year, and could be more, depending upon how much the UK can stomach any pushback. Nevertheless Brexiters, including Steve Baker, have said it is a good thing and their objections focus on food health checks rather than youth exchanges.
Closer defence and security
Already in lock-step in relation to the big issues including Nato, Ukraine and the need for Europe to decrease its military reliance on the US, the deal paves the way to further strengthen their partnership.
The main feature is UK access to a €150bn (£126bn) new EU rearmament financing instrument, known as Safe, which is just about to be agreed by member states.
According to the communique it will “help the EU and the UK boost support for Ukraine” and efforts on peace-building, crisis management, countering cyber-attacks and other hybrid attacks including threats to subsea cables.
Policing
The UK lost its access to a clutch of Europol databases after leaving the EU.
Today, in what the UK is promoting as a sizeable win, the Home Office will once again get access to DNA and criminal records as well as fingerprints and access to vehicle registrations and stolen goods.
They will also explore extending the exchange of data to facial images.
Medicines
There is no specific mention of the regulation of medicines, which Brexit severely disrupted, causing the establishment of a dual regulatory body in the UK and the loss of the European Medicines Agency to Amsterdam.
Nevertheless, there does seem to be scope for cooperation on the development of drugs and drug addiction.
Migration
The two sides will deepen cooperation on migration with the mutual sharing of information.
This has been on the cards for more than two years, allowing British Border Force to get real-time information from authorities in receiving countries such as Italy, Greece, the Balkans and the Canary Islands in Spain.
They will work together in trying to deal with the small boats crossing the Channel and the UK will get “enhanced cooperation with Europol and its European migrant smuggling centre”.
Touring artists
Despite the protests from Elton John and others, there is still no light at the end of the tunnel for musicians and performers who can only gig in the EU under specific visa arrangements.
Both sides, however, have agreed to “continue their efforts to support travel and cultural exchange”.
Travel and e-gates
While this has been billed as a big win for the UK, on closer scrutiny nothing is imminent and any access to e-gates in airports for British travellers is unlikely before 2026.
Under the deal there are hopes that there will be a breakthrough to allow British citizens to go through e-gates at European airports.
Currently, some countries allow this, including Portugal and some cities in Spain and France. But it looks like the use of e-gates for British citizens into EU member states will not happen until 2026 when the EU brings in its own version of the UK’s electronic travel authorisation, which will automatically record moves in and out of the EU for all visitors.
Carbon emissions
Both sides have agreed to work towards linking the emissions trading systems of the EU and the UK.
