Policy paper

Trade and Cooperation Agreement implementation report, 2023-2024 (HTML)

Published 2 September 2025

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1. Foreword from the Minister for the Cabinet Office

1. On 4 July 2024, the British people elected a new government on a manifesto which included a commitment to reset the UK’s relationship with the EU while not returning to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement.

2. On 19 May 2025, the Prime Minister hosted the inaugural UK-EU Summit in London, where we reached a significant new agreement to build a new strategic partnership with the EU. The Common Understanding reflects our commitment to fulfilling the mandate from the election last year. It builds on our existing agreements to deliver tangible benefits for households, create jobs, and strengthen our borders. We agreed with the EU to proceed swiftly to implement the Common Understanding and work is beginning in earnest.

3. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), alongside the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework, remains a  cornerstone of our relationship with the EU. The government is committed to its full implementation and to maximising the benefits for UK citizens and businesses. This important work continues alongside our work to take the forward the new areas of cooperation agreed at the summit.

4. I am grateful for the ongoing collaboration and support in this endeavour from the devolved governments, parliamentarians, the business community, and civil society, including through the UK Domestic Advisory Group and the UK delegation to the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly.

2. Introduction

5. This report covers the period from April 2023 to December 2024, and updates on the progress made since the publication of the first TCA implementation report in June 2023, which detailed the first two years of the TCA’s operation. As such, it spans a period intersected by a general election where there was a change in government.

6. On 24 July, following the election, the Prime Minister announced a machinery of government change which moved responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the EU, including co-chairing the Ministerial structures under the UK’s treaties with the EU, from the FCDO to the  Cabinet Office. The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General as Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations is responsible for driving the government’s EU agenda, overseeing the existing relationship, and leading the cross-government work to deepen cooperation through the new strategic partnership.

7. While the Paymaster General has overall responsibility for the UK-EU relationship, government departments are responsible for practical implementation in their respective areas and there is regular engagement and collaboration at official and Ministerial level on the implementation of the TCA. The devolved administrations are also consulted regularly on the UK’s approach to matters arising from the TCA.

8. This report seeks to summarise the UK’s engagement with the EU under the TCA, highlighting key areas of progress in implementation and where the UK government continued to engage meaningfully with the EU through the TCA’s institutional frameworks, including the Partnership Council and specialised committees, ensuring that both parties navigate the challenges and opportunities that arise from our relationship with the EU.

9. While the reporting period runs from January 2023 to December 2024, this report also includes developments in the first quarter of 2025, ending with the first UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025.

10. The government intends to publish future implementation reports every 2 years.

3. Institutional framework

3.1 Partnership Council

11. The TCA establishes a Partnership Council which supervises implementation of the agreement at the political level, co-chaired for the UK by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, and for the EU by Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. The Partnership Council met on 24 March 2023 and on 16 May 2024. We expect it to meet again in 2025. Partnership Council agendas and minutes can be found here.

12. At the 24 March 2023 Partnership Council, discussions emphasised collaboration on energy security as Europe shifts from reliance on Russian hydrocarbons. The EU outlined its climate ambitions through the Green Deal Industrial Plan (GDIP) and engaged in talks about regulatory cooperation, particularly concerning financial services and intellectual property, while expressing concerns over the UK’s Retained EU Law (REUL) and Bill of Rights Bills. Additionally, the UK welcomed discussions on reinstating participation in EU research programmes. The meeting concluded with decisions on various procedural matters.

13. At the 16 May 2024 TCA PC, discussions included progress in implementing the TCA, climate change commitments, energy cooperation, and trade relations, with both sides acknowledging the importance of adhering to level playing field provisions. Issues surrounding fisheries, health security, law enforcement, and the mobility of researchers were also addressed, along with concerns about the UK’s Data Protection and Digital Information Bill potentially affecting data adequacy decisions. Overall, the meeting reinforced ongoing collaboration across various sectors post-Brexit while emphasising compliance with TCA obligations.

3.2 Committees

14. To support the work of the Partnership Council, the agreement establishes 19 official-level committees responsible for supervising implementation in specific areas. The majority of these committees met at least once between 2023 and 2024 (see Annex A) with some committees meeting twice during this period. The government publishes all committee agendas, minutes and decisions on GOV.UK.

3.3 Arbitrators and Dispute Mechanism

15. The UK and EU have formally established a list of 20 individuals who are willing and able to serve as members of an arbitration tribunal under the TCA’s dispute resolution mechanism and the list is published on GOV.UK (PDF, 151 KB). These arbitrators served as the arbitration tribunal under the Sandeels dispute.

16. In April 2024, the EU launched proceedings under the TCA dispute resolution mechanism, to challenge UK and Scottish Government decisions to close North Sea waters to sandeel fishing. The EU referred the case to an independent arbitration tribunal in October, which issued its ruling on the case in May 2025. The UK successfully defended the majority of claims made by the EU, but the tribunal determined there was a procedural breach of the TCA in relation to the decision-making process to close English waters to sandeel fishing. The UK completed a new decision-making process based on updated advice and evidence, which takes into account all the requirements set out in the Tribunal’s report.

3.4 Domestic Advisory Group

17. As required by the TCA, there is an established Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) - a body composed of business and civil society organisations – to allow the government to consult on matters regarding implementation of the entire agreement. The Group’s membership is available on GOV.UK.

18. The DAG is independent from government and is chaired by an Executive Council composed of a chair and two vice-chairs. The DAG has been meeting regularly since its establishment in 2022, the last time being on 6 June 2025. Meeting minutes, reports and statements are available on GOV.UK.

3.5 Civil Society Forum

19. The TCA also establishes a Civil Society Forum (CSF) in which UK and EU business and civil society representatives can consider implementation issues and offer recommendations relating to Part 2 the agreement.

20. The results and conclusions of each of the meetings are shared with the Partnership Council, Trade Partnership Committee and the Specialised Committees on Energy, Air Transport, Aviation Safety, Road Transport, Social Security Coordination, and Fisheries.

21. The CSF has met annually since 2022, with the last meeting taking place on 24 June 2025. Meeting conclusions are available on GOV.UK.

3.6 Parliamentary Partnership Assembly

22. The Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) was established under the TCA as a forum for UK and EU parliamentarians to exchange views on the operation and implementation of the TCA and make recommendations to the Partnership Council. The Assembly consists of 35 UK parliamentarians and 35 Members of the European Parliament, and it typically meets twice per year in London and Brussels or Strasbourg.

23. The PPA has met twice during the period of this report, in July 2023 and December 2023. Ministers from the then government attended both meetings. During the meetings, the PPA agreed recommendations to the Partnership Council on support to Ukraine (July) and the mobility of people (December). The Partnership Council responded in writing to both recommendations.

24. The PPA’s regular meeting schedule was disrupted in 2024 due to the UK and European elections. The Assembly was reconstituted following the elections, with Marsha de Cordova MP and Sandro Gozi MEP announced as the new Co-Chairs. The PPA last met in March 2025 and made a recommendation on strengthening the EU-UK partnership. The government welcomes the PPA’s work and continues to engage with it on a regular basis.

4. Trade in goods

25. The TCA eliminates tariffs and quotas for goods traded between the UK and the EU where rules of origin requirements are met. It includes commitments on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Customs and Trade Facilitation (CTF), and administrative cooperation in the field of Value Added Tax (VAT).

26. Tackling barriers to trade is a priority for this government. At the UK-EU Summit on 19 May we agreed a number of concrete steps to further facilitate trade, including commitments to put in place an SPS agreement and linking of our Emissions Trading Schemes which should create the conditions for the UK and EU to exempt each other from our respective Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms.

4.1 Rules of Origin

27. On 5 November 2024 the Partnership Council updated the TCA’s product specific rules to reflect the 2022 update of the Harmonised System.

28. The UK and EU continue to cooperate on how used clothes can acquire origin and on the definition of cathode active materials (CAM).

4.2 SPS

29. The UK began phasing in its Border Target Operating Model in January 2024, introducing risk-based border controls on EU imports to protect UK biosecurity and public health.

30. Since 2021, the EU has banned GB imports of undepurated live bivalve molluscs (LBMs) from Class B waters and seed potatoes. The government has raised its concerns about this issue.

31. On 19 May 2025, the UK and EU announced plans to negotiate an SPS Agreement, which aims to eliminate routine border controls through the creation of a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary zone. It is anticipated that this agreement will resolve issues relating to seed potatoes and live-bivalve molluscs, as well as for other banned goods, such as chilled minced meat products and certain ‘high risk’ tree and shrub species.

4.3 Technical Barriers to Trade

32. The TCA includes a number of sector-specific annexes which seek to promote cooperation and tackle barriers to trade in respect of motor vehicles, medicinal products, organic products, chemicals, and wine sectors. These annexes include provisions for Working Groups to oversee the annexes on motor vehicles, medicinal products, and organic products.

33. The TBT Working Groups met for the first time in 2024 and have most recently met in June 2025. These groups have facilitated strong cooperation between technical experts and exchanges on regulatory developments with the view to minimise market access issues.

34. The Trade Specialised Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade met on 18 October 2023 and 7 October 2024. At the most recent TSC, parties welcomed the first meetings of the TBT Working Groups, and shared information on regulatory developments on a range of areas, including product safety, marking and labelling and chemicals. The parties also exchanged views regarding the market surveillance of non-food products. The TSC will meet again in autumn 2025.

4.4 VAT and ecommerce

35. The EU requires businesses based in Great Britain to establish a fiscal representative when registering for its Import One Stop Shop (IOSS), which streamlines VAT collection away from the border for ecommerce sales. The government recognises this requirement is a burden for business, especially SMEs, and has sought to remove it by amending the TCA’s debt recovery threshold as provided for in the Agreement. The UK raised this at meetings of the Trade Specialised Committee on Administrative Cooperation in VAT and Recovery of Taxes and Duties in both 2023 and 2024. To date the EU has not agreed to this proposal, the government continues to seek a resolution. The Specialised Committee will meet again in the Autumn of 2025.

5. Services, investment and digital

36. The TCA continues to underpin the UK-EU trading relationship across the services sector, providing a stable and transparent framework for businesses. It builds on WTO rules and offers commitments that support open markets while preserving the UK’s regulatory autonomy.

5.1 Professional qualifications

37. The TCA establishes a process through which the UK and EU can agree recognition agreements on professional qualifications covering the UK and all 27 EU Member States. Regulators and professional bodies must put forward proposals for recognition agreements and these are then concluded on a sectoral basis.

38. The UK and EU continue to work within the framework set out in the TCA for developing the mutual recognition of qualifications in regulated professions. The UK government has supported the progression of proposals, including an application led by the Architects Registration Board and the Architects’ Council of Europe. This recommendation has now undergone initial review by both parties, with technical engagement continuing to determine next steps. The government has used meetings of the Trade Specialised Committee on Services, Investment and Digital Trade to reiterate the UK’s support for further MRPQ proposals from regulators and professional bodies.

39. On 19 May 2025, the UK and the EU agreed to set up a dedicated dialogue on the implementation of the TCA as regards the recognition of professional qualifications.

5.2 Temporary movement of professionals (Mode IV)

40. Stakeholders have reported continued challenges navigating EU Member States’ visa and work permit systems, particularly due to inconsistent signposting and variable documentation requirements. The UK has encouraged the EU to improve transparency in these areas and has continued to support UK businesses with updated guidance on mobility rules.

41. On 19 May 2025, the UK and the EU agreed to set up a dedicated dialogue on the implementation of the TCA as regards entry and temporary stay of natural persons for business purposes.

5.3 Touring artists

42. Creative and cultural stakeholders reported continued challenges, such as navigating EU Member State visa and work permit rules, transport and administration costs, and limits on the movement of goods, when touring across the EU. The UK raised touring during the meetings of the Services, Investment and Digital Specialised Committee of the TCA over this period.

43. The government recognises that touring artists and their support staff face challenges such as managing the different EU Member State visa and work permit rules; transport and administration costs; and limits on the movement of goods, which is why we committed to help our touring artists in our manifesto.

44. On 19 May 2025, the UK and EU committed to support travel and cultural exchange, including the activities of touring artists. In February, Croatia removed the requirement for touring artists from OECD member countries, including the UK, to purchase a work authorisation certificate to perform there. We will continue to engage with the EU and Member States to determine how best to improve arrangements for touring across the European continent.

5.4 Financial services

45. The UK and EU formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Financial Services Cooperation on 27 June 2023. The MoU provides for structured regulatory dialogue and transparency through the establishment of the Joint UK-EU Financial Regulatory Forum. The Forum met in October 2023, May 2024, and February 2025, providing a platform to discuss financial stability, regulatory developments, and shared challenges in areas such as sustainable finance, digital and crypto-assets, banking and resolution frameworks, and capital markets reform.

46. Both parties also used the Forum to exchange views on the implementation of Basel III, the transition to T+1 settlement cycles, and developments in AI and financial innovation. The Forum continues to be a key mechanism for technical engagement and regulatory cooperation under the TCA.

47. The TCA ensures that UK legal professionals can advise on UK and international law in the EU, using their UK professional titles, subject to Member State-specific reservations. Following concerns raised by UK stakeholders in previous years, the UK has continued engagement with the European Commission and individual Member States.

48. In 2023, Luxembourg implemented legislative changes to address market access issues for UK lawyers. The UK has also raised ongoing concerns regarding market access limitations in Greece and has encouraged the EU to ensure consistent application of TCA obligations across all Member States.

49. Dialogue on legal services access has remained a regular item on the agenda of the Trade Specialised Committee.

5.6 Digital trade

50. The TCA’s provisions on digital trade promote commercial activity across the goods and services sectors and facilitate cooperation in a fast-paced regulatory environment.

6. Intellectual property, public procurement, regulatory cooperation and small and medium-sized enterprises

6.1 Intellectual property

51. The TCA’s provisions on Intellectual Property (IP) guarantee high standards of IP protection, promote the enforcement of IP rights, facilitate UK-EU cooperation between relevant authorities, and support the UK’s domestic IP policy objectives.

52. The UK held constructive discussions with the EU across several areas through both the Trade Specialised Committee on IP and the TCA Partnership Council. These meetings included exchanges on the enforcement of IP rights, IP Finance, Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and interactions between artificial intelligence (AI) and Copyright regulation. We also re-stated our desire to agree a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate greater cooperation between the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The next specialised committee will take place in autumn 2025.

6.2 Public procurement

53. The TCA provides a transparent and non-discriminatory framework for access to public procurement. The agreement is based on the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement, with some supplementary provisions that typically feature in FTAs. The TCA also ensures the UK can maintain a separate and independent procurement regime that is quicker, simpler, more transparent and better able to meet the UK’s needs.

54. The UK continues to monitor implementation of the EU’s International Procurement Instrument (IPI), which could give the EU wide ranging powers and restrict third country access into the EU’s public procurement markets. The government also continues to seek assurances on the implementation of these reforms through other international fora. The UK also continues to closely follow how the IPI interacts with the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation and its trade defence instruments. The next specialised committee will take place in autumn 2025.

6.3 Good regulatory practices and regulatory cooperation

55. The TCA establishes a set of principles for good regulatory practice and sets out the basis for UK-EU regulatory cooperation on trade issues, through the Trade Specialised Committee on Regulatory Cooperation. At the Committee in 2024, both parties’ focused on their respective reforms in relation to better regulation and regulatory approaches to emerging technologies. The Trade Specialised Committee will meet again in 2025.

6.4 Small and medium sized enterprises

56. Under the Trade Specialised Committee on Regulatory Cooperation, the UK and EU continue to exchange information on regulatory developments that aim to support SMEs, including reducing burdens and ensuring that access to finance is readily available in order to improve the business environment for SMEs.

7. Energy

7.1 Security of supply

57. The TCA supports and strengthens the UK and EU’s respective security of supply and decarbonisation goals, and commitment to tackling climate change. The agreement’s provisions on energy cover important shared interests, from electricity and gas interconnection to cooperation on security of supply and the deployment of renewable energy.

58. In the 2023 meeting of the Specialised Committee on Energy, the UK and EU noted their collaboration on security of supply in light of ongoing energy market challenges by holding a dialogue on winter preparedness. The UK was also invited to participate in meetings of the EU’s Electricity and Gas Coordination Groups. In 2024, the parties adopted a decision to establish a Security of Supply Working Group to embed cooperation, with expectations for regular meetings. The UK and EU also finalised working and administrative arrangements to deepen cooperation between our respective Transmission System Operators and National Regulatory Authorities.

59. On 19 June 2025, the UK and the EU adopted, via Decision [2]/2025 of the Partnership Council, (i) the interpretation of Article 331(2) of the TCA, and (ii) the extension of the application of Title VIII (Energy) of the TCA to 31 March 2027.

7.2 Electricity trading

60. During the 2023 discussions, both parties acknowledged concerns about delays to the development of the Multi Region Loose Volume Coupling (MRLVC) model of more efficient electricity trading envisaged under the TCA. In the 2024 meeting, both parties agreed to issue a recommendation to our respective TSOs to move to a concept validation phase for MRLVC. Both sides also published a roadmap to oversee the next steps of the development of MRLVC. UK and EU Transmission System Operators (TSOs) provided a further update on this work at a meeting of the SCE in June 2025 and discussed existing barriers to the delivery of joint and hybrid offshore projects.

7.3 North Sea cooperation

61. At the 2023 meeting, the UK sought clarity on the EU’s understanding of what work can be done under the NSEC MoU. The EU explained that the NSEC UK MoU is meant to facilitate cooperation in development of offshore renewable energy. In 2024, the UK reaffirmed its commitment to the Ostend Declaration and working through NSEC with North Seas neighbours to make the North Seas the Green Power Plant of Europe. The UK also outlined its willingness to play a more active role in NSEC.

8. Level playing field for open and fair competition and sustainable development

62. The TCA’s provisions on the Level Playing Field for Open and Fair Competition and Sustainable Development are designed to prevent distortions of trade between the UK and EU caused by anti-competitive practices. The Level Playing Field provisions cover subsidy control and competition policy, labour and social standards and environment and climate standards.

8.1 Subsidy control and competition policy

63. The UK and EU have held a series of exchanges through the Trade Specialised Committee on Level Playing Field on the design of their respective subsidy control regimes and individual awards and schemes. These exchanges have included changes to the EU’s State aid regime with the introduction and extension of temporary frameworks for aid. The UK will continue to monitor the impact of State aid changes on UK- EU trade and investment.

64. In October 2024 the UK and EU concluded negotiations on the UK-EU Competition Cooperation Agreement, a positive step forward envisaged by the Level Playing Field chapter which will improve cooperation between the UK’s and EU’s competition authorities, allowing for greater dialogue between the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK, the European Commission and the National Competition Authorities of the EU Member States.

8.2 Labour and social standards

65. The UK and EU have held a series of exchanges through the Trade Specialised Committee on Level Playing Field on the development of labour and social policies, including for example the EU Platform Work Directive and the UK Plan to Make Work Pay.

8.3 Environment and climate

66. The UK and EU have held a series of exchanges through the Trade Specialised Committee on Level Playing Field on policy measures and targets related to environment and climate including for example on the design of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and EU Emissions Trading System.

67. In October 2024 at the fourth Trade Specialised Committee on Level Playing Field the Parties looked forward to the first meeting of their respective environmental regulators as envisaged by Article 395 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

9. Transport

68. The TCA provides rights for UK road transport operators to carry goods and passengers to and from the EU, within the EU and transit the EU, with reciprocal rights provided for EU hauliers and coach operators. The TCA also provides rights for UK and EU air carriers to provide services between points in the UK and points in the EU without limitation. Rights in relation to international maritime services are set out in the Services and Investment provisions.

9.1 Air transport

69. The TCA provides for the UK to negotiate and conclude bilateral arrangements with EU Member States regarding all cargo ‘fifth freedom’ flights. Following the implementation of the TCA, the UK has now agreed these rights with 23 Member States.

70. The TCA notes the potential benefits of the continued liberalisation of ownership and control of airlines, and the government has continued to press for progress on this through the Specialised Committee on Air Transport.

9.2 Aviation safety

71. The TCA establishes a process for agreeing supplementary annexes to the agreement that would facilitate the recognition of UK and EU certificates. The UK is supportive of concluding annexes on aircraft maintenance and air traffic management, which would be mutually beneficial for both UK and EU industry. To date, the European Commission has not been willing to engage in such discussions.

72. Through the Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety, the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency have agreed to explore further technical cooperation on the oversight of cross-border services. This will include regular coordination meetings to discuss Air Traffic Management and Air navigation Services technical matters. There will be a further update on progress at the next Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety in 2025.

9.3 Road transport

73. As part of the Specialised Committee on Road Transport, the UK and EU are taking steps to enable the UK’s reconnection to the European Register of Road Undertakings (ERRU) by the end of 2025. This will facilitate exchanges of information between the UK and EU via the ERRU platform, enabling information to be shared on infringements, criminal convictions and penalties committed by UK hauliers to the EU and vice versa.

74. Both the UK and the EU have now ratified and implemented the Regular and Special Regular Protocol under the Interbus Agreement concerning international passenger transport by coach and bus. This replaced the temporary arrangements that were included in the TCA concerning international passenger services by road, with effect from 1 April 2025.

10. Fisheries

75. The TCA affirms the UK’s right as a sovereign coastal state to manage its marine resources and apply its own fisheries management practices. Since the TCA was agreed, the UK has implemented a marine protection programme to support the sustainability of fish stocks for industry. The UK and EU continue to cooperate on the management of shared fish stocks in UK and EU waters, including through the Specialised Committee on Fisheries (SCF). In 2023, the SCF agreed three Recommendations and a Decision to address outstanding implementation requirements of the TCA and to deliver more effective management approaches for certain stocks. We have successfully reached agreement through annual negotiations every year since the TCA came into effect on Total Allowable Catches, non-quota species and other management measures, ensuring long-term sustainability of these resources and delivering fishing opportunities for our fleets.

76. On 18 and 19 June 2025 the UK and the EU agreed to a new multiannual period of access to the relevant parts of each Party’s waters for 12 years from 1 July 2026, following discussion at the 19 May Summit. The decision of the Specialised Committee gives effect to this agreement. The PC decision clarifies the interpretation of Article 508(2)(d) under which the Specialised Committee decision is made.

11. Social security coordination

77. The TCA provisions on Social Security Coordination continued to ensure that individuals have a range of social security cover when moving between the UK and the EU. The Committee has agreed to use the European Central Bank as the reference institution for determining interest rates on late payments and currency conversion rates for cross-border benefit payments. This ensures a consistent and unified approach across both the Withdrawal Agreement and TCA frameworks.

78. The Specialised Committee has agreed to align the interpretation of the TCA with Regulation (EC) 883/2004 rules for detached workers. The Specialised Committee has adopted a decision to update the annexes of the TCA SSC protocols to reflect legislative changes to benefits in participating countries. Updates to the annexes also agreed reciprocal healthcare reimbursement arrangements.

12. Law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters

79. The TCA provisions on law enforcement and judicial cooperation ensure that the UK can work with counterparts across Europe to protect our citizens from a range of crime types and to bring criminals to justice.

80. At the most recent Specialised Committee on Law Enforcement and Judicial Cooperation in December 2024, the UK and EU reaffirmed their shared assessment that Part Three of the TCA continues to operate effectively with significant mutual operational benefit.

81. Under the TCA, the UK continues to co-operate with Europol and it continues to have a strong multi-agency liaison bureau at The Hague delivering operational activity against the most significant crime groups. Similarly, the UK maintains a very active desk at Eurojust, allowing cooperation in the prosecution of transnational crime, dismantling crime groups and securing justice for victims.

82. The interim period during which the UK was permitted to derogate from part of the agreement on the transfer and processing of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data for flights between the EU and the UK concluded on 31 December 2023.  Following technical adjustments to the UK’s PNR data processing systems, the UK implemented Article 552(4), setting out the circumstances in which this PNR data should be deleted, with effect from 1 January 2024.

83. The UK has completed its roll out of connections to all 27 EU Member States for the exchange of DNA data under the TCA (known as the Prüm framework), and, as of May 2025, to 24 Member States for the exchange of fingerprint data. Work is ongoing to secure the remaining connections. Work is also underway to enable the exchange of vehicle registration data under the Prüm framework and an EU evaluation visit took place in June 2025.

84. The UK welcomes the constructive approach it continues to see from partners across the EU in relation to the operation of the surrender provisions of the TCA. The UK worked with Poland to withdraw their absolute bar on extradition of Own Nationals under the TCA, with the necessary legislation coming into force on 3 August 2023. This has been a crucial improvement in judicial cooperation between the UK and Poland and has allowed for better criminal justice cooperation under the TCA.

85. A new standard form for requests for Mutual Legal Assistance in criminal matters was made mandatory in September 2023 and is now in use for TCA cooperation in this area.

13. Thematic cooperation

13.1 Health security

86. The TCA provides for the UK and EU to cooperate on cross-border health threats, including provisions which enable the EU to grant the UK ad hoc access to its Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) and to invite the UK to participate in its Health Security Committee (HSC). On 3 July 2024, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) presented on the Sharp Joint Action on Strengthened International Health Regulations and Preparedness in the EU to the Health Security Committee General Working Group. On 22 January 2025, UKHSA presented on the surveillance system for human metapneumovirus (hMPV) at the Health Security Committee.

87. UKHSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) agreed and ratified a Joint Action Plan on 15 July 2024, implementing the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the agencies on 1 December 2021, as provided for in the TCA. Activity under the UKHSA and ECDC Joint Action Plan commenced July 2024, establishing collaborative relationships between UK and ECDC subject matter experts across a broad range of health protection and health security technical areas.

88. UKHSA and ECDC met to review the Joint Action Plan on 19 March 2025. They agreed that the Joint Action Plan should be amended with further additional work areas and include updates following re-structuring at UKHSA and ECDC. Additionally, at this meeting a data sharing agreement was also signed for greater flexibility for access to EpiPulse, an online portal for European public health authorities and partner organisations to collect, analyse, share, and discuss infectious disease data for threat detection, monitoring, risk assessment and outbreak response.

89. At the third meeting of the UK-EU Partnership Council on 16 May 2024, the UK and the EU welcomed the participation of the UK in the EU’s Critical Medicines Alliance. This has enabled the UK and EU to engage on the importance of strengthening the resilience of medical devices supply chains given their imperative role in the delivery of patient care.

13.2 Cyber security

90. The TCA includes a number of provisions for cooperation on cyber security matters, including the option for the UK and EU to establish a regular dialogue and for the UK to participate by invitation in activities of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), such as the Network and Information Systems Cooperation Group.

91. The UK and the EU have established a regular UK-EU dialogue on Cyber issues, as provided for in the TCA. The first and second dialogues took place on 14 December 2023 in Brussels and 5-6 December 2024 in London respectively. The agenda for the most recent dialogue included exchanges of views on our respective approaches to cyber resilience, secure technology and digital identity; deterrence strategies against cyber threats; countering cybercrime including ransomware; working with the multi-stakeholder community to uphold a free, open, secure and peaceful cyberspace; the Pall Mall Process to tackle the proliferation and irresponsible use of commercial cyber intrusion capabilities; cyber skills; and cyber capacity building.

92. The UK and the EU have agreed to hold the third UK-EU Cyber Dialogue in Brussels in 2025.

13.3 Counter-terrorism

93. The TCA provides for UK-EU cooperation to prevent and combat acts of terrorism, including by establishing a regular dialogue to promote and facilitate the sharing of assessments on the terrorist threat and the exchange of best practices and expertise on counter-terrorism.

94. The UK and the EU have established the regular UK-EU dialogue on Counter-terrorism provided for in the TCA. The first and second dialogues took place on 2 February 2024 and 4 February 2025 in Brussels and London respectively. At the most recent dialogue the UK and the EU discussed a wide range of counter-terrorism issues, strategic approaches to countering terrorism, and a range of topics related to the identification of travellers of Counter-Terrorism concern, and technology, including responses to terrorist content online and emerging technologies. Both sides underlined the strategic importance of the unique relationship between the EU and the UK in addressing these challenges.

95. The next Counter-terrorism dialogue will be held in Brussels.

14. Participation in EU programmes

96. On 7 September 2023 the Government secured a bespoke agreement with the EU to associate to the Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes starting on 1 January 2024.

97. In line with what was agreed under this new deal, the UK and EU adopted a revised version of Protocol I at a meeting of the Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes on 4 December 2023. This included a new automatic correction mechanism for Horizon Europe to ensure value for money for the UK taxpayer.

98. At the meeting of the Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes on 11 December 2024, the UK and EU took stock of UK participation in Horizon Europe and Copernicus. On Horizon, the UK outlined positive trends of participation, but it was too early to draw firm conclusions. The UK also highlighted its position paper on the future version of the Horizon Europe programme in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. The committee will meet again in December 2025.

15. Annex A: Meetings of the TCA Specialised Committees

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