Andy Burnham is preparing to announce a package of agreements with the EU covering agricultural trade, emissions and visas for young people, as part of a plan to build closer ties with the bloc. Officials say the texts are nearly agreed, although some details remain unresolved, including the number of people who could use the youth mobility scheme.
The agreements are expected to be announced when Burnham meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in Brussels later this month. The prime minister is due to meet European counterparts on 20 November.
The proposed agricultural deal is estimated by the government to be worth more than £5bn to the UK economy by 2040. It would ease trade in some products, including live molluscs and Scottish salmon, and allow UK businesses and travellers to take pets into the EU using pet passports rather than obtaining certificates for each journey. Some UK products that do not comply with EU rules, including those involving certain pesticides, would be allowed to continue to be sold during a transition period.
A separate agreement would link the UK to the EU emissions trading scheme. The UK would pay the bloc for access, with the aim of avoiding a cross-border carbon tax due to take effect next January. The package also includes a proposed youth experience scheme allowing people under 30 to live, work and travel in each other’s territories. Both sides are understood to favour national quotas, while the UK is seeking an emergency mechanism if a member state does not issue its allocation.
Burnham said the agreements could increase the UK economy by £17bn, or 0.4%. He told the Economist that a potential 0.4% boost to GDP was a figure that could not be ignored. Speaking to ITV, he said he would not move ahead of public opinion on Brexit and that the public should decide what happens next.
Other discussions remain separate from the three agreements. The UK and EU have begun talks on a joint statement about future cooperation, including industrial policy and university fees. A draft prepared by the EU proposes reaching an agreement within six months on lower tuition fees for European students, but the UK has not agreed to the text. The draft also refers to the two sides as “trusted partners”, language the UK believes could support its participation in the EU’s Made in Europe scheme.
The EU is pressing the UK to accept higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, which British ministers and businesses oppose. The draft statement also refers to a possible UK contribution to the EU’s cohesion budget, while the EU has raised concerns about UK plans to speed up the deportation of foreign national offenders to EU countries.
The agreements form part of Burnham’s broader effort to reset the UK’s relationship with Europe. Downing Street has said he plans to set out a longer-term vision for the relationship, including possible re-entry to the bloc, around the time of the summit, but has not said whether the announcement will come before, during or after it.
Sources: The Guardian World.