EU and UK secure new agreement including emissions deal
The UK and the European Union have reached a new deal setting out post-Brexit relations on areas including fishing rights, trade and defence, and carbon and energy.
Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has said it is time to move on from "political fights" about Brexit, as the UK and the EU agreed to a major rest of relations.
It marks the biggest reboot since the UK officially left the EU in 2020, and comes after years of disagreements over Brexit.
Here is some of the key information we know so far on the deal.
Farming, fishing, animal and plant products
Points in the deal regarding farming exports include:
- in return for extending current fishing rules for a further 12 years, the UK has secured a deal to reduce checks of food exports to the EU;
- the vast majority of routine border checks on animal and plant shipments to and from the EU will be dropped;
- the new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement means the UK can sell raw burgers and sausages back into the EU for the first time since Brexit;
- under the deal the UK will be expected to follow EU rules it does not write, overseen by the European Court of Justice, but it can break away if it keeps similar standards and avoids harming EU trade.
Defence and security
Points in the deal regarding defence and security include:
- a formal UK-EU defence and security pact has been established;
- UK and EU officials will meet every six months to talk about defence and foreign policy;
- both sides will coordinate on sanctions, share more information and develop a space-related security policy;
- the UK will join the EU's PESCO project on military mobility, aimed at speeding troop and equipment movement inside and outside the bloc;
- the government says the agreement "paves the way" for UK-based arms firms to access the Security Action for Europe (Safe) - a £150 billion EU fund providing loans for defence projects.
Youth experience scheme
The UK and the EU have agreed to co-operate further on a "youth experience scheme" but this will be subject to further negotiations:
- the government says such a scheme "could see you people able to work and travel freely in Europe again" but would be "capped and time-limited";
- it says the idea would mirror existing schemes the UK has with countries like Australia and New Zealand, where there is an annual quota of visas allowing people between the ages of 18 and 35 to work in each other's countries for up to three years;
- the UK is also negotiating to rejoin the Erasmus+ programme, which allows students to study or do an internship abroad.
Passport e-gates
The deal states that British holidaymakers will be able to use e-gates at more European airports:
- when Brexit ended free movement, UK travellers were shut out from using EU e-gates;
- now the EU Commission says there is no legal barrier to stopping UK citizens using them after the roll-out of its long-awaited digital border checks system, which is due to come into effect in October;
- each EU country still decides if UK citizens can use e-gates at its ports but the government has promised to work to expand access "as soon as possible"'
- a new passport system will make it easier for UK pets to travel, ending the need for repeat vet certificates.
Carbon and energy
Points in the deal regarding carbon and energy include the:
- UK and EU will link their carbon markets to avoid taxes on carbon-intensive goods like steel and cement travelling between the UK and EU;
- government says it will save £800 million in taxes and shield British steel from EU tariffs, thanks to a UK-only deal worth £25 million a year;
- link-up will include the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which will come into effect on 1 January 2026, with a UK CBAM launching a year later.
- UK will begin discussions on buying and selling directly into the EU's shared electricity market, but the UK would have to follow EU rules to seal a deal.
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