UK-EU - Joint Statement (HTML)
Updated 17 December 2025
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Statement of Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič and HM Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP
In May, the United Kingdom and the European Union held their first ever Summit and agreed to strengthen cooperation through a new strategic partnership. This partnership will make us more secure, will put people in the centre of the relationship and will support businesses to grow.
Following the Summit, the European Commission and the United Kingdom have concluded their negotiations for the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027. The United Kingdom association to Erasmus+ in 2027 would offer significant opportunities across the education, training, sport and youth sectors for individuals in the United Kingdom and the European Union, particularly for those in the younger generation. The European Commission and the United Kingdom look forward to these opportunities becoming available. They are pleased that the specific terms of this association, including mutually agreed financial terms, represent a fair balance between the UK’s contributions and the benefits the programme offers and pave the way for United Kingdom participation in the programme in 2027.
The United Kingdom and the European Commission have also concluded exploratory talks on the United Kingdom’s participation in the European Union’s internal electricity market, with the details set out in letters to be published in the coming days. The European Commission and the United Kingdom will now work towards negotiating the United Kingdom’s participation in the internal electricity market of the European Union and set out the necessary framework for that participation. Closer cooperation on electricity would bring real benefits to businesses and consumers across Europe, drive up investment in the North Seas and strengthen energy security.
The Commission and the United Kingdom will proceed swiftly on the United Kingdom’s association to Erasmus+ and on the negotiations of the United Kingdom’s participation in the internal electricity market of the European Union in accordance with their respective procedures and legal frameworks and in respect of each other’s decision-making autonomy.
The United Kingdom and the European Commission underline their commitment to implementing the outcomes of the May 2025 Summit in a timely manner, and aim in particular by the time of the next EU-UK Summit to conclude the negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme, on establishing a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area and on linking our Emissions Trading Systems.
The European Commission and the United Kingdom also underline their commitment to full, timely and faithful implementation of existing agreements, namely the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework.