United Kingdom

A strategic partnership

The United Kingdom (UK) is a former EU member state that left the EU on 31 January 2020 after 47 years of membership.

While the EU-UK relationship is already governed by a set of comprehensive agreements, five years on from the UK's withdrawal, at the first EU-UK summit held on 19 May 2025, the EU and UK agreed on a strategic partnership. Both are now set to work together on global matters and deepen cooperation on numerous bilateral issues, for the benefit of citizens and in the mutual interest.

Both sides also reconfirmed that the partnership is underpinned by the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, including the Windsor Framework, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. These agreements remain the cornerstone, and both sides will ensure their full, timely and faithful implementation.

The summit stabilised the relationship and, following it, the European Commission and the UK pledged to work on future deals, including on energy, agrifood rules, climate, people-to-people contacts, migration and law enforcement.

• EU-UK summit, 19 May 2025
• EU-UK withdrawal agreement
• EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Security and defence

The UK and the EU share a responsibility for the security of Europe, and their respective security challenges and interests are closely interlinked.

At the summit of 19 May 2025, the two sides agreed on a security and defence partnership that aims to frame cooperation across a wide range of areas such as:

• regional security issues
• peace-building and crisis management, including cooperation and the possible participation of the UK in the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations
• maritime security
• initiatives, policies and instruments
• space security
• cyber issues
• hybrid threats and the resilience of critical infrastructure
• foreign information manipulation and interference
• non-proliferation, disarmament and conventional arms
• capacity-building for partners
• training and education
• cooperation in third countries and multilateral fora

In view of the adoption of the financial instrument SAFE (Security Action for Europe), the UK and the European Commission have committed to swiftly exploring possibilities for further cooperation.

For the UK and those EU member states that are NATO allies, NATO remains the cornerstone of their collective defence.

• Security and defence partnership between the EU and UK

Global priorities

The EU and UK are like-minded partners that share common values, support multilateralism and a rules-based international order and promote stability and prosperity worldwide.

At the summit of 19  May 2025, EU and UK leaders issued a joint statement in which they outlined several global priorities, including:

• a full and unconditional ceasefire and meaningful talks for genuine peace aimed at ending Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace
• an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza
• Iran/Syria

The leaders also emphasised the importance of maintaining free, sustainable, fair and open trade, reiterated their commitment to the Western Balkans and commended the agreement of India and Pakistan to cease hostilities.

• EU-UK leaders summit 2025: joint statement

See also