United Kingdom/European Union, the beginnings of a rapprochement

Keir Starmer’s ‘Reset’, which had remained cautiously blur until the first UK-EU summit on 19 May, aims first and foremost to improve the UK’s economic position with the European Union after Brexit, without jeopardising its relationship with Washington. Starting with defence, energy and other specific areas, the rapprochement avoids any radical shift but is clearly underway.

Until the first summit with the European Union since the UK’s exit in 2020, which occurred in London on 19 May, the definition of ‘Reset’ remained unclear. Coined during the general elections campaign and launched by Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer as soon as he came to power in July 2024, this policy of repositioning the country in relation to Brussels had left European partners uncertain of its scope. The hardening of the global geopolitical context since, not least with the return of Donald Trump as US President, has made this European rapprochement more compelling but also more strained. The runup to the UK-EU summit saw an acceleration in negotiations between Whitehall and the European Commission, acting on behalf of the EU-27.