Full report: www.britishchambers.org.uk/news/2025/12...

Some 53% of UK exporters told the [BCC] that the trade deal with Europe was unsatisfactory — a 13 percentage point increase from 2024. “By contrast, just 16% of nearly 900 exporters surveyed in October said the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement… was working well.” www.ft.com/content/b3d3...

Let's go through the Eramus statement together 1/ ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Joint statement confirmed negotiations concluded on UK's association to Erasmus+ in 2027 Also shared aim to conclude negotiations on Youth Experience Scheme, common SPS Area and linking of ETS schemes by next [annual] EU-UK summit... although no date for this ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

“[Unionist] criticism comes despite ministers in London hailing the move as a major step forward and local business bodies including the NI Chamber and Horticultural Trades Association welcoming the development” www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/bre...

"agreement to rejoin Erasmus... expected to be announced on Wednesday Also: 'Government sources... [PM] is pursuing an “iterative” process with the EU and that at the next annual reset summit, expected in the spring, there will be fresh issues on the table' www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

UK Government response to Lord Murphy's Independent Review of the Windsor Framework published All 16 recommendations accepted. The Independent Review followed the NI Assembly's vote in December 2024 on granting 'Democratic Consent' to the continued application of... www.gov.uk/government/p...

“Any decision to admit a new member would have to be backed by all of the EU’s 27 national governments.” And the European Parliament And be ratified by each of the EU(27). In France, default requirement is ratification by referendum www.ft.com/content/e504...

How has the UK managed the regulatory consequences of Brexit? Delighted to see published with @bjpols.bsky.social latest article with my colleague Lisa Claire Whitten exploring the interaction with devolution and the Windsor Framework. journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....

"rejoining the single market... cannot be sprung on the voters at the election. You have to spend the coming years making the case, perhaps preparing the European Commission and member states. Lest we forget, they have the actual say on this." Drop the 'perhaps'. www.ft.com/content/2d00...

“if you’ve just read all of [this] and have no clue what I’m talking about … you really shouldn’t be talking about customs unions.” - @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social mostfavourednation.substack.com/p/customs-un...

“I would strongly contest whether rejoining the customs union would either be quick or straightforward,” one cabinet source said.’ Wise source www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

‘UK argues… Brussels is… reopening a debate… at which it was agreed to limit numbers… ‘EU diplomat.. perception among [EU27].. the UK… taking a “hyper-transactional” and “penny-pinching” approach might “demotivate” Brussels to deliver on other areas of British interest’ www.ft.com/content/773b...

“the question boils down to whether the need for common action to confront shared threats overrides protectionist impulses. Security threats… push us towards the former. Economic self-interest and the logic of national politics imply the latter” - @[email protected] www.ft.com/content/0e5e...

'Starmer’s allies are concerned that speculation about Britain rejoining the customs union is not only erroneous but would mean giving up recent UK trade deals. There is also concern the idea will be opposed in Brussels. “Would the EU even accept us?” said one.' www.ft.com/content/963f...

“European leaders are already grappling with packed in-trays… and skepticism remains as to how much room for maneuver [Starmer] actually has. “Starmer’s political red lines — no customs union, no single market, and no return to freedom of movement — remain in place” www.politico.eu/article/brex...

EU-UK Specialised Committee on Implementation of Windsor Framework met today Statement includes positives on progress being made ... still issues to be addressed Frequency of SPS identity checks being reduced AI and Cyber Resilience Acts to apply in NI? TBD commission.europa.eu/document/dow...

"Backing a customs union would represent an explicit manifesto breach... and would also risk damaging relations with Donald Trump... Yet the longer Starmer’s woes persist, the more voices will urge him, as in 2018, to tear up the script." www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

"Negotiators are aiming to finalise a deal by January that would allow the UK to participate in Erasmus from 2027 onwards, according to two UK and EU officials." www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework next meets on 3 December 2025 Agenda as for October meeting, so still exchanging views on whether (and, if so, to what extent) EU's AI Act and Cyber Resilience Act should apply in Northern Ireland www.gov.uk/government/p...

On the Windsor Framework and the NI Assembly's 2024 Democratic Consent vote... With @politicalquarterly.bsky.social Open access via: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

'The government has said the financial package.... will provide a "single point of contact" to solve disputes and guide businesses on trading in NI.' Follows reports and recommendations on Windsor Framework from Lord Murphy and from Independent Monitoring Panel. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly held its 6th meeting this week. The recommendation agreed 👇 www.parliament.uk/globalassets...

‘Under current rules, EU countries can spend up to 35 per cent of the rearmament fund with UK defence companies. If the UK joins Safe, this could rise as high as 50 per cent, but Brussels has said the UK’s contribution needs to reflect the benefits to British industry.’ www.ft.com/content/ba88...

“Major differences remain between the two sides over the level of financial contributions the U.K. would need to make and the minimum mandatory share of components produced inside the EU, with senior British figures signaling they would not seek entry at any price.” www.politico.eu/article/uk-a...

Nothing like a communiqué being issued promptly! Surely worth the wait…

and you can start reliving that trauma tomorrow by joining @instituteforgovernment.org.uk and @ukandeu.bsky.social to discuss tomorrow evening - sign up here. In person or online www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/six-mo...

‘Negotiations are finally underway for Keir Starmer's much-hyped Brexit reset. Expect to relive some trauma’ www.politico.eu/article/brex...

EU(27) today welcomed agreement on mandates for negotiations on SPS and ETS agreements with the UK With a reminder: ‘as a matter of principle… relations can only be strengthened based on a full, faithful and timely implementation of existing agreements’ www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/...

Late addition to today's ECOFIN Council. It could have been left to General Affairs Council next week which is 'taking stock' of the state of play in EU-UK relations www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

“member states… also approved mandates for talks on an agri-food deal to ease cross-Channel trade frictions, and to link the EU and U.K. emissions trading systems.” On whether the UK should contribute financially to… www.politico.eu/article/uk-s...

“So far, Starmer's reset has had plenty of warm words. Converting those into legal texts was always going to be the hard part.” www.politico.eu/article/uk-p...

“Whether this government, or its successors, will be better able to communicate the value of… financial flows [to the EU] remains to be seen, but as long as it lacks a strong overall narrative for its EU policy this seems less than likely” - @simonusherwood.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/the-sleeping...

EU(27) moving towards adoption of mandates for negotiations on SPS and ETS agreements with the UK. data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document...

“The overall result for the six month period is that 96% of the value of goods moved under freight did so within the Internal Market system. The UK Government’s Internal Market Guarantee of 80% has therefore been met for this period.’ Caveats and recommendations www.gov.uk/government/p...

“Member states on Friday postponed signing off their mandate for [an SPS] deal and for the terms of the UK’s re entry to the single energy market... “The delay was caused by divisions over whether the UK should pay into the EU’s regional funds… “A majority… www.ft.com/content/03ef...

On the agenda of Coreper II today data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document...

From the EU-UK ‘Common Understanding’ in May: “32. The SPS Agreement should provide for an appropriate financial contribution from the United Kingdom to support the relevant costs associated with the European Union’s work in this policy area.”

Out today, the findings of latest polling of NI voters' views on Brexit, the Windsor Framework and UK-EU relations. While most voters in Northern Ireland are either generally accepting or supportive of the Windsor Framework, overall support has weakened... www.qub.ac.uk/sites/post-b...

House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee first report published. "labyrinthine complexity of the institutional architecture of the Windsor Framework makes it impossible for stakeholders to navigate" A detailed report. committees.parliament.uk/committee/76...

Coverage striking for omitting any mention of some EU(27) Foreign Ministers attending and that meeting is part of the Berlin Process designed to 'increase cooperation between the Western Balkans Six and the Berlin Process host countries as well as the EU'. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

NI as testbed for UK to demonstrate it can meet obligations towards the EU. www.ft.com/content/7238...

Interested in what voters in Northern Ireland currently think about Brexit, the Windsor Framework and UK-EU relations? Join @katyhayward.bsky.social and me on Friday 24 October as we present the findings from our latest polling with @lucidtalk.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/post-brexi...

Deadline for submissions extended to 15 October councilforeuropeanstudies.org/conferences/...

Sefcovic: “Based on the trust we have rebuilt over the last years, I’m convinced that we can proceed with the SPS negotiations very quickly. We are now very well advanced in getting the mandate from the member states to do that.” www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

‘Polling commissioned by POLITICO shows the government’s agri-food deal agreed in principle with Brussels is popular with Remainers and Leavers alike — even when they're told it means following EU rules. ‘Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of voters back the deal…

Joint Statement from today's EU-UK Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework. Work still to be done on 'full, timely and faithful' implementation. More detail than in past statements Value of stakeholder engagement flagged commission.europa.eu/document/dow...

Latest European Political Community summit in Copenhagen today. 'While the gathering hasn’t lived up to the hype set by Macron, most of those who spoke to POLITICO said it would be wrong to consider it a failure. Dialogue doesn’t hurt anyone, after all.' www.politico.eu/article/macr...

Next meeting of the EU-UK Specialised Committee on the Windsor Framework meets tomorrow, 2 October 2025. Agenda 👇 (same as for previous meeting in June) commission.europa.eu/publications...

‘The plan faces pushback from several EU countries, including France, the Netherlands and Greece, … they would also be limiting their own ability to block membership bids they see as problematic… It’s important to the Greeks…to show they can hold up talks on… www.politico.eu/article/hung...