Economic security is fast emerging as a strategic priority for Europe as a whole. The EU is expanding its partnerships with like-minded allies, yet despite new and wide-ranging Strategic Partnership agreed earlier this year, engagement with the United Kingdom (UK) remains merely nascent. Starting from the premise that any viable framework must start from a recognition of shared interests, this paper maps shared trade vulnerabilities to identify incentives for cooperation. It then analyses both sides’ offensive interests in retaining an open and rules-based geoeconomic order.
It concludes that both sets of shared interest provide a solid foundation for renewed cooperation, which is best achieved through small, concrete steps rather than a grand design. Long-term success will depend on two conditions. First, UK willingness to engage with EU trade policy. Second, both sides must develop a shared strategic understanding on engagement with China, which is plumb centre of the ‘defensive’ agenda.
