'I hope the British public see how practical it is,' EU Trade Commissioner says about EU-UK deal

Published on 23/05/2025 - 17:00 GMT+2

The EU Trade Commissioner Maros Šefčovič says he hopes nan British nationalist person a pragmatic position of nan caller EU-UK woody covering trade, defence and fishing.

The first ever EU-UK acme was “an important measurement forward” successful repairing relations betwixt nan 2 sides aft almost of a decade of bitterness and mistrust pursuing nan referendum which saw nan UK retreat from nan EU successful 2020.

“I deliberation we really made a very important measurement guardant and we are opening nan caller section successful EU-UK co-relations”, Šefčovič told The Europe Conversation.

“We are eternal neighbours, we are nan biggest trading partners”, he said. 

Despite nan lukewarm words and applicable quality of nan deal, guidance from pro-Brexit politicians and newspaper columnists was 1 of outrage, accusing nan Labour authorities of “surrender” to Brussels.

The woody opens up discussions for nan UK to motion up to adjacent SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) standards, EU regulations relating to human, animal and works life from risks for illustration diseases and pests and carcinogens.

When complete, it intends nan farming and sportfishing industries will nary longer person nan load of extended paperwork required to nan participate nan EU marketplace akin to nan statement earlier nan UK near nan Single Market.

The UK will adhere to EU standards - which nan immense mostly of accumulation lines successful nan UK maintained since leaving nan EU – but they will person afloat entree to closest waste and acquisition partners. Approximately 42% of UK waste and acquisition goes to nan EU.

The woody besides includes provisions to yet let young citizens of nan EU and UK constricted recreation visa-free.

In addition, UK travellers will soon beryllium capable to usage E-Gates astatine EU airports meaning visitors won’t person to hold successful statement to person their passports stamped.

A cardinal constituent to this, was besides a Security and Defence business to bolster European information fixed nan geopolitical instability facing nan continent.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said she would reverse nan woody if she comes into powerfulness aft nan adjacent wide election, owed to return spot sometime successful 2029.

However, Šefčovič says he hopes nan British nationalist will admit nan “practical results and applicable implementation of nan agreements”, he told Euronews.

“If you want to reconstruct nan span building among nan young people, and betwixt nan EU and nan UK if we want to make it easier for nan farmers, for nan fishers done nan SPS statement and if you want to make it moreover amended for nan group from Northern Ireland, I deliberation these are each very important decisions,” he said.

A caller woody pinch nan US

Meanwhile, successful narration to nan ongoing negotiations pinch nan US complete waste and acquisition tariffs, Šefčovič indicated it’s improbable he’ll settee for an statement which involves a wide tariff base, akin to what nan UK precocious agreed.

Goods coming from nan UK will beryllium subjected to a tariff baseline of 10%, but aluminium and alloy tariffs of 25% person been removed arsenic portion of that deal. 

EU personnel states person stated they would beryllium against immoderate akin settlement, noting nan size and heft of nan EU’s Single Market arsenic an adjacent competitor to nan US market. 

“A very clear connection I sewage from our waste and acquisition ministers was that they insist connected having a equilibrium woody pinch nan US. So of people we are fresh to discuss pinch our American partners,” he said. 

“We are pushing for a balanced deal.” 

The US imposed 25% tariffs connected EU cars, alloy and aluminium and 20% connected different equipment past April. But past halved nan 20% complaint for a 90-day play to discuss a caller agreement.