UK government hails ‘historic moment that marks EU reset’, but does it?

David Lammy has become the first British foreign secretary to attend a meeting of EU foreign ministers since Brexit.

He was welcomed by the EU’s outgoing foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, at a meeting in Luxembourg this morning. He subsequently met the full set of ministers from the EU’s 27 member states over lunch.

It comes on a heavy agenda day for the European Union, which is grappling with war in neighbouring Ukraine and concern over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon and Gaza.

Ahead of the meeting with David Lammy, a high-ranking EU official said the meeting was an opportunity to discuss these pressing international affairs rather than to talk about UK-EU relations, although they mused whether the foreign secretary might come armed with “concrete proposals” for something more.

The British foreign secretary is thought to favour developing a ‘joint declaration’ on security and defence with the EU, an area that is only lightly covered in existing Brexit deals.

The EU has previously been enthusiastic about completing this ‘missing chapter’ of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. But some diplomats are now much cooler about the idea since the Labour government has set down a number of red lines, and out-of-hand rejected an EU proposal for an agreement on student mobility.

However, EU foreign ministers on the red carpet this morning were keen to play the good host.

The Netherlands was one of the UK’s closest allies around the table before Brexit. Dutch Foreign Minister, Caspar Veldkamp, said he wants the UK and EU to have “intensive” cooperation.

“The UK has a lot to offer in this field in terms of capabilities, military capabilities, diplomacy, intelligence, etc. and also a culture of decision making in the sphere that is dear to our hearts.”

Britain needs the EU and the EU needs Britain, said Germany’s Europe Minister, Anna Lührmann, putting it more bluntly.

The UK is a “strategic partner to the EU and I think we both benefit a lot from working closely together on foreign policy, but also on security policy,” suggested Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard.

Arriving in Luxembourg early this morning, David Lammy claimed it was an “historic moment that marks our EU reset”.

“The UK and Europe’s security is indivisible,” he said. “Whether it is the aggression of Russia in Ukraine, the tremendous issues and conflicts in the Middle East, or global affairs and geopolitical affairs more generally, it’s hugely important that the United Kingdom and Europe remain steadfast.”

The Ukraine war forced the UK and EU to find a post-Brexit way of coordinating whilst no longer being in the same room – even for today’s meeting David Lammy was only allowed to join for lunch, not for the main meetings.

Whilst Brexit relations were fraught, and the mere mention of the EU was toxic to the previous government, the UK and EU found other ways of keeping track of each other’s sanctions on Russia, for example, working via the G7 and other international fora.

Some diplomats have suggested that that model is working just fine. Others want to bring the UK much closer to the fold, whilst not allowing the UK to overrule EU decision making.

There are also business interests keen for better UK-EU cooperation in foreign policy. Experts point to the defence industry with a supply chain reliant on each other. And a keenness to push back against US proposals to screen international transactions on national security grounds.

Josep Borrell knows that he has a matter of months left in the job and it will be down to his successor to navigate any possible new Brexit deal without undoing existing agreements.

“We are convinced that in these dark moments, with so many challenges around the world, a strong continent – because we are part of the same continent – require a strong partnership”, he said.

“We have the same ambition to cooperate, to strengthen our cooperation and security and defence, because the security challenges that we are facing go across the border.”