Why are the EU and Britain making deals again?published at 09:42 British Summer Time 19 May
Jessica Parker
Reporting from Brussels
What’s driving Brussels to build up a closer relationship with Britain?
Time has certainly been something of a healer. The divorce was messy. The post-divorce period was also, at times, turbulent, as the two sides became bogged down in a dispute about trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
Since then, the relationship has moved on, with a more EU-friendly Labour government now in power.
But, importantly, the global context has shifted dramatically. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump has re-entered the White House, upending transatlantic security norms in the process. Deeper co-operation on defence with the UK – a major defence power – makes sense for the EU now more than ever.
While a package deal, and the bargaining that comes with it, presents a chance for member states to press other issues that have niggled them.
A big one is the desire to make it easier for young people to come to the UK and study at its prestigious universities.
It is unsurprising that fishing rights have been lumped into all of this, as the post-Brexit deal on fisheries was due to expire next year.
