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00:00Now, five years after Britain officially left the EU, the two sides are set to seal a deal to renew some of those broken ties.
00:07They're now set to sign new deals on fishing rights, defence and freer movement for young people, including easier access to British universities for European students.
00:17British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is welcoming the EU president, Ursula von der Leyen, in London today for that first summit since Brexit.
00:24We're going to talk more about this now with Janneke Wachowiak from UK in a Changing Europe.
00:30She joins me live from London. Thanks for taking the time to speak to us.
00:33This is the first high-level post-Brexit summit between the UK and EU.
00:37First of all, what prompted this summit to happen now in the first place?
00:43So the summit is part of the Labour Party's ambition to reset relations with the European Union.
00:48There was an informal meeting between Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen last year,
00:53at which the two sides decided to hold the first formal post-Brexit summit between the two sides,
00:59which is taking place today, and which both sides consider to be a milestone for the relationship.
01:04Now, there are several new deals that are meant to be signed off on at some point today.
01:09What for you, from what we know so far, are the most important changes that could be coming?
01:15So I think security and defence will be at the heart of the summit.
01:19The expectation is that the two sides will be able to announce some concrete outcomes in this area.
01:27This will include a geopolitical statement highlighting areas of joint interest,
01:32such as their support or their ongoing support for Ukraine.
01:35And then there will be a security and defence partnership as well.
01:39On trade and mobility issues, there will be a roadmap outlining areas for further talk.
01:46For example, trade and agro-food products, use mobility and emissions trading.
01:52So those are areas where further talks will be required after the summit.
01:56So whilst the summit is an important milestone,
01:58it's also part of a longer process of negotiations that will continue beyond the summit itself.
02:03How committed, would you say, are both the EU and the UK to actually following through on all of this?
02:10So the two sides have been clear that they want to pursue deeper ties.
02:18At the same time, I would say they are both still being cautious when it comes to this relationship.
02:24On the UK side, you still have similar red lines to the ones you had on previous conservative governments,
02:30including a no to the single market, a no to the customs union and a no to freedom's movement.
02:36On the EU side, similarly, we still have concern about British attempts of cherry picking.
02:43There is a caution or anxiety of not wanting to create a precedent for the United Kingdom,
02:49where other third countries like Switzerland or Norway could then complain
02:54that this upsets the balance of rights and obligations for third countries.
02:59So whilst it is a first step towards deepening the relationship,
03:03I think there is still caution on both sides.
03:05And the ambition for the summit is modest at best.
03:08Indeed.
03:08And it even seems like the actual summit itself is more of a low-key affair being held at Downing Street.
03:14Would you agree?
03:14Yes, I think the summit is a low-key affair in the sense that you don't have member states present,
03:23you have the institutions present.
03:25But at the same time, that's not unusual for an EU summit with a third country.
03:29The EU holds summits with other key partners all the time,
03:34and that's usually at the level of the institutions.
03:37So I wouldn't read too much into that.
03:39But at the same time, I think there's also recognition on both sides
03:44that the summit is only the start of a longer process,
03:47and they know that there will be more difficult and technical talks to come down the line.
03:52Janneke, just to wrap up, what would you say is the general feeling of people in the UK
03:56five years post-Brexit?
03:58Do most people still think it was the right move?
04:01I think in general, the majority of people in the United Kingdom
04:05think that Brexit has been more of a failure than a success.
04:08Yes, and a majority of people are in favour of closer ties with the European Union.
04:13But that doesn't mean that people necessarily want to see another referendum.
04:18People are, frankly, sick and tired of Brexit as a topic.
04:22They don't really want to hear about it any longer.
04:25So whilst there is support for closer relations,
04:28there are still people who think that Brexit itself wasn't necessarily a bad idea.
04:33But so the people who voted to leave
04:35may only think that the government implemented it badly.
04:39So, yeah, still very nuanced views.
04:42But overall, I would say there is support for a closer relationship,
04:45also given the change geopolitical environment we find ourselves in.
04:50All right, Janneke, thanks for that.
04:51Janneke Wachowiak from UK in a Changing Europe.