The upcoming EU–UK summit takes place at a moment of profound geopolitical change. Despite meaningful progress in selected areas of cooperation, the relationship still falls short of a substantive strategic reset. While formats such as the E3 are gaining importance, EU–UK relations have yet to develop a similarly ambitious and sustained strategic agenda. The summit therefore offers an opportunity to reframe the relationship and define shared priorities more clearly.
This Policy Brief puts forward concrete proposals for a gradual but strategically oriented deepening of cooperation. It outlines practical measures in areas such as economic and democratic resilience, technology and innovation, trade and regulation, connectedness, as well as foreign, security and defence policy. In addition, it proposes a Political Statement of Intent and the creation of a high-level group to explore flexible forms of cooperation in strategically important yet politically sensitive areas.
At the same time, the future trajectory of the relationship will increasingly be shaped by political developments on both sides. In the UK, growing doubts about the sustainability of existing Brexit red lines could open space for a broader debate on future options for closer integration with the EU. In parallel, the EU may need to adopt a more flexible approach towards cooperation with like-minded non-member partners, particularly in areas such as defence, security and resilience, where European fragmentation carries rising costs. This has important implications: the EU would need to become more strategically open to structured cooperation with capable external partners, while the UK could initiate a systematic and evidence-based debate about the long-term viability of its current approach and possible pathways towards deeper integration with the EU.
