The UK-EU relationship is at a pivotal moment. The Government has committed to a reset, with a particular focus on an ambitious new security partnership. With growing geopolitical threats - most notably Russia’s war on Ukraine - and increasing concerns over the reliability of the United States as a security partner, there is an urgent need for Europe to strengthen its collective security and defence cooperation.
Despite the shared security interests between the UK and the EU, existing frameworks provide only limited cooperation. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) does not include provisions for structured foreign policy or defence cooperation, and the Political Declaration’s vision for a broad UK-EU security partnership was never realised. This leaves the UK with a weaker formal security relationship with the EU than several other non-EU NATO allies, including the US, Canada, and Norway.
With the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025 providing an opportunity for progress, this report outlines the key challenges and opportunities for a closer UK-EU foreign, security, and defence relationship. It identifies areas where cooperation could be expanded—including defence industrial collaboration, participation in EU defence frameworks, and structured political dialogue—all while reinforcing NATO’s central role in European security.
There are several tangible and immediate measures that can build trust and momentum, laying the foundation for significantly deeper cooperation. Where possible, every effort must be made to ensure that negotiations on security and defence do not become entangled - and delayed - by broader trade discussions.
Recommendations
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Deepening UK-EU Political and Security Dialogue
- Establish a structured UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership, modelled on the EU-Norway agreement, to provide a framework for ongoing security and defence cooperation
- Ensure regular high-level UK-EU summits and ministerial dialogues, fostering deeper strategic engagement on global security challenges.
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Strengthening UK-EU Defence Cooperation
- Negotiate an Administrative Arrangement (AA) with the European Defence Agency (EDA) to enable structured UK participation in relevant Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects.
- Enter into a Framework Participation Agreement (FPA) with the EU to allow the UK to contribute to Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions on a case-by-case basis.
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Enhancing Defence Industrial Cooperation
- Push for greater access to the European Defence Fund (EDF) and related defence-industrial initiatives.
- Ensure that defence cooperation is guided by strategic necessity, not market restrictions, by advocating for the UK to be included in EU defence procurement initiatives, including the ReArm Europe Plan.