Brussels is intensifying efforts to secure approval from all 27 EU member states to begin negotiations on a security and defense partnership with the United Kingdom. This move comes as the EU looks to strengthen military cooperation with the UK amidst shifting geopolitical challenges.
Matti Maasikas, Managing Director for Europe at the EU’s External Action Service (EEAS), stressed the importance of a new legal framework for EU-UK security cooperation. He emphasized that a security and defense partnership is necessary due to the rapidly changing global context.
The EU’s push faces some resistance, particularly from France, which wants the security pact to be part of a broader reset in EU-UK relations. However, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been actively advocating for the pact, focusing on joint research, military mobility, and greater operational cooperation.
British officials, including Minister for EU Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds and Foreign Policy Director Catriona Mace, have expressed readiness to negotiate and expand collaboration with the EU. They argue that security cooperation should go beyond the current arrangements to better address emerging threats.
The renewed focus on EU-UK security cooperation follows increased urgency in the wake of global security concerns, including Russia’s war in Ukraine. Both the UK and France have indicated their willingness to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping mission following a negotiated ceasefire.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas is set to visit the UK this week for talks with UK defense officials, further advancing discussions on military support for Ukraine and broader EU-UK security collaboration.