The Reset: What to expect at Monday’s Summit
The UK–EU Reset: What to Expect from Monday’s Summit
Mike Buckley, Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations
The context
On Monday 19 May, the UK will host a high-level Summit with the European Union in London — the first of its kind under the new Government. After months of quiet negotiations, this is the moment when a more constructive UK–EU relationship starts to take shape.
What’s likely to be agreed
Expectations have been managed carefully on both sides. The Summit is not a dramatic reboot, but an important reset. Likely agreements include:
A UK–EU defence and security pact
A limited youth mobility scheme
An SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) deal easing food and animal product checks
A renewed fisheries agreement
Energy cooperation, including linked carbon and electricity trading
Possibly, new freedoms for touring artists across the UK and EU
What the UK Government wants
The UK is seeking to:
Lower trade barriers and boost economic growth
Increase defence and security collaboration — including access to the EU’s new €150bn SAFE defence fund, which allows joint borrowing outside of UK fiscal rules
Gain equal market access for UK defence manufacturers — essentially Single Market access for defence
Keep youth mobility modest to avoid wider migration concerns
Secure better terms for musicians, theatre companies and other touring artists
What the EU wants
Brussels is focused on:
A broader youth mobility scheme, ideally three years in length for under-35s
Continuity on fisheries and quotas
Linked carbon and electricity trading
Bringing the UK into European defence planning, procurement and training
Safeguarding the integrity of the Single Market — with some flexibility on defence, but no ‘cherry-picking’ of Single Market benefits without accepting its obligations
The politics
The UK Government wants to turn the page on the Brexit era — to show that Britain and the EU can now work together as trusted partners, and that this reset will deliver practical benefits. But it also wants to reassure voters that Brexit itself is not being reversed.
Ministers will reaffirm red lines:
No return to the Single Market or Customs Union
No revival of full freedom of movement
That echoes the position set by Theresa May in 2017 — a fact not lost on Brussels. The EU is willing to offer new cooperation where it’s in their interest (like defence and energy), but won’t let the UK access membership benefits without obligations.
The domestic political context also matters. Ministers are wary of a Reform UK surge in the polls, and don’t want to be seen as “backsliding on Brexit.” Meanwhile, the EU had to get all 27 member states to agree on the Summit package — and some remain cautious about UK intentions.
Expect critics on the right — including Reform and Conservative voices — to condemn any alignment with EU rules as a loss of sovereignty. But in reality, agreements like the SPS or energy deals are sovereign choices, made in the UK’s interest, just like any other trade agreement.
Will it be worth it?
Yes. Even if modest in scope, these measures offer real benefits:
A defence pact enables closer coordination on Ukraine, joint planning, and UK access to the SAFE fund — a major step forward.
Energy cooperation could lower household and business energy bills, accelerate North Sea renewable rollout and improve energy resilience.
An SPS deal could cut food costs and simplify life for farmers, exporters and consumers — though it may involve ECJ oversight, drawing familiar headlines from the right-wing press.
A renewed fisheries deal may be politically sensitive, but it is essential to unlocking other agreements like defence and energy.
Youth mobility, even if limited, is a step toward restoring opportunities for young Britons who have been disproportionately hurt by Brexit — especially those too young to vote in 2016.
Artist touring freedoms would lift a costly post-Brexit barrier and support a vital UK export sector.
Will this boost the economy?
Probably — but not by much. The OBR estimates Brexit has cut UK GDP by 4%. These agreements may help chip away at that cost, but only incrementally.
The big economic prizes — full youth and business mobility, smooth goods trade, broader Single Market access for services — remain off the table for now due to red lines on both sides.
Any surprises expected?
Unlikely. Most elements of the deal have been heavily trailed for months — part of a deliberate strategy to test public and political reactions. That said, negotiations are continuing until the last minute. A small extra concession or announcement is still possible.
Is this the start of real re-engagement with the EU?
Yes. This Summit won’t transform UK–EU relations overnight, but it marks a shift in tone and trajectory.
Barriers are coming down, not going up.
Trust is being rebuilt, not eroded.
And a new framework for cooperation — built on mutual respect and shared interests — is finally beginning to emerge.