"The Commission should abandon waiting for Member States’ unanimity at every single step in the negotiation process. This relatively recent practice has no basis in EU law and should be dropped" - Michael Emerson and @stevenblockmans.bsky.social at @ceps.eu www.ceps.eu/ceps-publica...

'A large majority of member states oppose restrictions on UK participation, as they want flexibility over defence procurement. One EU diplomat described the proposed 50% limit as “the classic French obsession”.' www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Latest speech on UK-EU relations from Nick Thomas-Symonds… in Bruges “Sovereignty is not some delicate fossil… …it should be a modern tool which helps us to make pragmatic decisions about the future. All this means some alignment on standards…” www.gov.uk/government/s...

‘Both the Labour party and [the] Conservatives want Norway to join the EU but neither want to call for a new referendum imminently, as opinion polls show most voters reject membership of the bloc’ www.ft.com/content/6c89...

Lord Murphy's Independent Review of the Windsor Framework published today Follows consultations with NI political parties, businesses, trade organisations, trade unions and civil society representatives, and 500 written submissions. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68b59a...

Latest Eurobarometer looks at attitudes towards EU enlargement. Majority support in most member states. Among exceptions: France… where default constitutional position is ratification of future accession treaties will be subject to a referendum europa.eu/eurobaromete...

Latest UK Government report on TCA implementation www.gov.uk/government/p...

‘This week, the Department for Education held a preliminary meeting with prospective suppliers after setting out in a tender notice its intention to pay between £20mn and £24mn for an 18-month contract starting in July 2026.’ on.ft.com/45RFfyV

‘Resetting [relations] with the EU will take time and involve trade-offs. ‘And it’s time for a proper conversation about it…’ ‘in some cases, like SPS, it is in our national interest to align with the EU. We have made that choice because it is pragmatic, and we own it.’ www.gov.uk/government/s...

‘after months of being coy over the prospect of a youth mobility scheme with the EU, Thomas-Symonds embraced the possibility with open arms. ‘“… I’m very excited about the scheme,” he said. “I think it’s going to be fantastic.”’ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Being sought: applicants with 'a high degree of knowledge and experience of European and [NI] politics, including Brexit, the Windsor Framework, and the political situation in Northern Ireland and the ability to become proficient in new topics quickly' housesofparliament.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

“Businesses in the Republic without a presence in the North will now peer enviously across the Border at the lower rate to be applied there. This is the first year since Ireland – both parts – joined the [EEC] in 1973 that such a differential has been in play.” www.irishtimes.com/business/202...

"While recent polls have shown a large majority in favour of holding the referendum, much fewer people support launching fresh accession talks... many people obviously just want the vote to be able to say no. Probably in the hope of finally killing the idea off." euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

Will it be much of a 'fight'? "The SPS agreement the EU has with Switzerland — seen as a model for the upcoming British accord — also includes its own carve-out on animal welfare." www.politico.eu/article/uk-a...

"The fact remains that most political parties in the Icelandic parliament are against EU membership. "And while polls show that the population is keen to restart talks with Brussels, they are less sure that they actually want to become members." www.rferl.org/a/iceland-eu...

"Future agreements... necessitate a coordinated UK-wide conversation about new legislation... for them to be implemented. The UK-EU IMG provides precisely the kind of forum which could deliver this but at the present time is not being used to its full potential" ukandeu.ac.uk/intergovernm...

"Trying to limit regulatory divergence with your closest trading partner, while increasing soft-touch cooperation in areas of common interest, is what a rational EU policy looks like." - @jreland.bsky.social encompass-europe.com/comment/the-...

““I am always rather struck by how parliamentarians and campaigners will make a real fuss about the negotiation of individual agreements… but rarely look at the underlying framework for the ratification of treaties.” A view shared.

Commission's proposed mandate for negotiations on EU-UK SPS and ETS agreements being presented to EU(27) today. Also on agenda: information from the Commission on UK participation in Erasmus. data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document...

‘London wants detailed negotiations on a planned agri-food agreement to begin in the fall and conclude in the first part of 2026… EU: “We want to implement the agreement as swiftly as possible on both sides." www.politico.eu/article/brit...

“The imperative for the UK to demonstrate post-Brexit divergence from the EU appears all but gone… More often than not, the EU now appears to be a regulatory lodestar which guides UK policy thinking, rather than a competitor to outmanoeuvre.” ukandeu.ac.uk/reports/uk-e...

“According to a poll earlier this year, 58 percent of Icelanders support reopening accession talks — but support is lower for EU membership, with just 45 percent in favor, 35 percent opposed and 20 percent undecided.” www.politico.eu/article/icel...

"Supporters of Moldova’s membership are increasingly concerned that Hungary’s block on Ukraine’s accession, and the informal linking of the two countries’ bids, could unfairly hinder Chișinău." www.ft.com/content/000b...

'Earlier this week, the Commission’s enlargement spokesperson, Guillaume Mercier, said Brussels would not entertain the question of “decoupling” Moldova and Ukraine’s bids to allow the former to progress. “This is really a decision to be taken by the member states".' www.politico.eu/article/mold...

“EU officials familiar with the discussion said the Commission had decided that the UK joining PEM was not currently in the EU’s interests, because it would increase the risk of products unfairly qualifying for low-tariff access to the bloc.” www.ft.com/content/0cb5...

‘The treaty between Starmer and Merz is the fruit of 18 rounds of negotiations, three of which were held face to face in Berlin and two in London. ‘A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said: “The treaty will deal with the entire range of our relations”.’ www.politico.eu/article/uk-g...

Nine years after the EU referendum, where does public opinion stand on Brexit? NB results are for GB... yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

New research briefing from HoC Library researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CB...

Dynamic regulatory alignment will be a core feature of a future EU-UK SPS agreement. In it there will be a 'short list of limited exceptions'. Important dimension to UK-EU negotiations will be determining what's on the list. www.euractiv.com/section/agri...

“The problem isn’t that there isn’t more that could be done. It’s that most of the gains to be had are safely locked up behind the UK’s red lines.” - @anandmenon.bsky.social and @jdportes.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/the-economic...

The grace period for application of EU legislation on veterinary medicines under the Protocol/Windsor Framework expires at the end of 2025. UK government today sets out arrangements to be applied to safeguard supplies of vet meds to Northern Ireland. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Right, it's a month since the reset EU-UK summit: let's check out everything that's happened since tl;dr this is going to be a very short thread 1/

Next milestone in Windsor Framework implementation coming 1 July. UK-EU SPS agreement could remove need for 'not for EU labelling' scheme. But with content and timeframe still to be agreed, both sides focused on 'full, timely and faithful' WF implementation. www.politico.eu/article/brit...

Setting a benchmark for explaining the outcome of a 'Common Understanding' with the EU... Swiss Federal Government's explanatory report on agreements concluded with the EU runs to... 931 pages backend.europa.eda.admin.ch/fileservice/...

"membership is only one option.... countries like Georgia and Serbia can change over time and recommit. But in the meantime, the EU should devote its limited resources to those candidates that are fulfilling its conditions." - @dimitarbechev.bsky.social carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Set for discussion at Coreper next week: www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/...

‘EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič described the agreement as a “truly historic milestone” that would remove “all physical barriers, checks and controls on people and goods” crossing the border while bringing legal certainty.’ www.politico.eu/article/brex...

The EU-UK Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework met today Co-chairs ‘noted progress in some areas’ of implementation… with some ‘significant work’ still to be done www.gov.uk/government/p...

One reason why UK cannot easily leave ECHR

Benn: “The previous government signed agreements clearly with no intention of honouring them. That was absolutely disastrous for trust. We have to show that we can be trusted once again, because Britain's reputation was frankly trashed by the last government.” www.euractiv.com/section/poli...

UK government moves to oblige GB producers, where necessary, to label goods 'not for EU' to ensure their continued supply into Northern Ireland. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Next meeting of the EU-UK Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework meets next week The agenda … with slightly more detail than on previous occasions 👇 commission.europa.eu/publications...

'government announced it would postpone the introduction of the next raft of checks on so-called “medium risk” fruit and vegetables imports in light of talks... 'the checks are now scheduled to come in on Jan. 31 2027 - by which time they will likely not be required' www.politico.eu/article/uk-p...

It will soon be 12 years since the EU last enlarged. Time for another enlargement? Von der Leyen: "accession will always be a merit-based process. But I am convinced that history is calling us now... this is a historic moment. And we must not let it pass us by" www.politico.eu/article/buil...

Yesterday @katyhayward.bsky.social, @vgravey.bsky.social, @billymeloaraujo.bsky.social and I gathered to discuss developments around the Windsor Framework, our latest @lucidtalk.bsky.social polling on NI voters views, and the UK-EU 'reset'. Here's what we had to say: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKxN...

On the relative importance for NI voters of opposing the Protocol/Windsor Framework 31% of unionists place it in top four (of 18) priorties Least important issue for nationalists and others, with 0% and 1% respectively having it in top four priorties www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politic...

But don’t expect to see the back of ‘balance of rights and obligations’ www.politico.eu/article/eu-r...

Our event with the two Ambassadors - of the UK to the EU and the EU to the UK - discussing the summit and what was achieved, is now available to view online. So view it... www.youtube.com/live/RTS7hGu...

“it seems as if the grown-ups are in charge. Practical issues have taken the place of political posturing. We are beginning, slowly, to see the government hint at some of the trade-offs implicit in the UK-EU relationship.” - @anandmenon.bsky.social on.ft.com/4mvoRtW

"The direction of travel, rather than the content of any deal, is the true gift to unionism. For the first time in years it can point to a political trend in its favour, even if this only promises to undo part of the damage it has suffered since Brexit" www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...