The European Union’s executive arm and the United Kingdom agreed on a security and defense partnership which they said will allow for closer cooperation in areas such as support for Ukraine, and which may open the door for U.K. companies to benefit from an EU plan to boost defense-industrial spending.
Based on the partnership, the U.K. and the European commission should “swiftly explore any possibilities for mutually beneficial enhanced cooperation” created by an EU proposal for a €150 bilion (US$169 billion) loan program for defense procurement, according to a joint statement on Monday.
Officials including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in London on Monday to repair some of the ties severed by the U.K. leaving the EU in 2020. The U.K. is home to Europe’s largest defense firm, BAE Systems, and EU plans to boost joint defense procurement within the 27-nation bloc risked leaving the British defense industry out in the cold.
“This will boost our cooperation in security and defense initiatives,” von der Leyen said in a joint press conference in London with Starmer and European Council President António Costa. “This is the first step towards U.K. participation in Europe’s defense investment program. This security and defense partnership opens the door towards the joint procurement.”
The agreement will help the EU and the U.K. boost cooperation in areas such as supporting Ukraine, security and defenses initiatives that include the defense industry, military mobility, space security, strategic consultation, cyber issues and countering hybrid threats, the parties said.