The UK and the European Union are preparing a “new strategic partnership” to shore up trade ties and present a united European front on Ukraine, according to a draft declaration under negotiation ahead of a joint summit on 19 May. UK and EU officials have spent recent months in intensive “tunnel” talks to identify areas of mutual interest that can form the backbone of a year-long cooperation framework.
At the top of the agenda is a defence and security pact aimed at closer collaboration on supporting Ukraine. Both sides face external pressure most notably from President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and see value in demonstrating transatlantic unity on European soil. Migration also features prominently, with diplomats discussing reciprocal visa arrangements that would allow EU citizens to spend a year working in Britain without inflating net migration figures.
France has sought to reopen fishing negotiations, but sources say no immediate changes are expected. Instead, the draft communiqué focuses on economic stability, noting a “common understanding” of the need to maintain free and open trade and to mitigate the effects of “fluctuations in the global economic order.” As the UK continues to negotiate a special tariff deal with the United States a 10% levy compared with a potential 20% EU tariff both London and Brussels are eager to send a message that European economic integration remains strong.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer last week, urged fresh investment in North Sea renewables as a concrete example of shared ambitions. “We are friends. And we are Europeans,” von der Leyen said, calling for collective action on energy security. Downing Street, while declining to comment on the draft text, affirmed that the proposal aligns with the UK’s objective to reduce trade barriers, drive growth and strengthen collective security.
Both sides hope the declaration will cement progress on defence, trade and people-to-people links, laying the groundwork for detailed negotiations over the coming year. As EU ambassadors prepare for a Brussels briefing on Wednesday, attention will focus on whether the final communiqué can bridge the gaps between British sovereignty concerns and EU regulatory standards while weathering the wider storm of US-EU-UK trade tensions.
