The EU and UK have reached an agreement to reset relations, which the British Prime Minister has claimed will add nearly £9 billion (€10.6bn) to the UK economy by 2040.
As part of the agreement, there will be a new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal on plant and animal products, which will not be time-limited.
According to the UK government, “some routine checks on animal and plant products will be removed completely”, which will help reduce trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Britain.
In exchange, the UK has agreed to extend fishing rights for the EU fishing sector by another 12 years. The UK government argues that the British fishing sector will benefit from the SPS agreement through increased access to European markets.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hosting European Union chiefs for a landmark summit designed to usher in a closer relationship between Britain and the bloc, five years after Brexit.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council António Costa are attending the talks.
Both sides have been engaged in negotiations to improve cooperation across a number of areas including defence and security, plant and animal checks, and youth mobility.
It is the first meeting of its kind since the UK formally left the European Union more than five years ago.
A “youth experience scheme” has also been agreed in principle. It will be capped, time-limited and will mirror existing schemes the UK has with countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
This will not impact Irish citizens as they can already travel to Britain as part of the Common Travel Area.
In relation to irregular migration, both sides have agreed to work further in this area to reduce channel crossings and facilitate returns.
British holidaymakers will be able to use more eGates in Europe. And pets will be able to travel more easily, with the introduction of ‘pet passports’ for UK cats and dogs, removing the need for animal health certificates.
Much of the focus of today will be on an agreed security and defence partnership, which will pave the way for the UK defence industry to participate in the EU’s proposed new €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence fund.
The UK will also enter talks regarding access to EU facial image data.
Both sides have agreed to link trading emissions systems.
