Summary 3

Chapter 1: Introduction 5

Our inquiry 7

Our report 7

Chapter 2: The May 2025 UK-EU summit in the reset process 9

The reset process 9

Box 1: The Government’s policy objectives for the reset 10

Machinery of government 12

The Government’s reset objectives 13

Foreign policy, defence, security and law enforcement cooperation 13

Trade and mobility issues 14

The May 2025 UK-EU summit outcomes 18

The Common Understanding 19

Box 2: The UK-EU Common Understanding: Summary of contents 19

Table 1: UK and EU priorities in the Common Understanding 21

Extension of UK-EU arrangements on fisheries access and energy cooperation 22

EU data adequacy status 28

Bilateral relations with European states 29

Chapter 3: The next phase: Foreign policy, security, defence and law enforcement cooperation 32

The UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership 32

Box 3: Key aspects of the UK-EU Security and Defence Partnership 32

Defence industrial cooperation 35

Security Action for Europe (SAFE) 37

UK engagement with the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) 39

Cooperation on criminal law enforcement 40

Chapter 4: The next phase: Trade and mobility 44

Prospective new UK-EU agreements 44

Table 2: From the Common Understanding to the negotiation of new UK-EU agreements 44

Governance arrangements 45

Policy issues 46

UK association to Erasmus+ 51

Remaining Government priorities 52

Touring artists in the EU 52

Mutual recognition of professional qualifications and professional mobility 53

Further issues 54

Trade in goods 55

Financial services 56

Chapter 5: Implications for Government and Parliament 57

Timelines, the TCA implementation review and the next UK-EU summit 57

The next UK-EU summit 57

The TCA implementation review 57

The nature of the UK-EU relationship after the May 2025 summit 58

Possible unilateral UK measures 60

The new UK-EU agreements: Institutional implications 61

The role of Parliament 61

Government resources and functions 63

Summary of conclusions and recommendations 65

Appendix 1: List of Members and declarations of interest 72

Appendix 2: List of evidence and committee activity 74

Appendix 3: Call for evidence 80

Appendix 4: Note on the Committee’s visit to Brussels 83

Appendix 5: Selected events in the UK-EU reset, July 2024–October 2025 85

Appendix 6: Existing models of EU defence and security cooperation with non-Member States 87

Appendix 7: Instruments for EU relations with non-Member States in security and defence 88

Appendix 8: Security Action for Europe (SAFE) 90

Appendix 9: Minutes of proceedings on the report 92

Appendix 10: Glossary of acronyms 96