Living with the Neighbours
@ESRC Project looking at EU–UK relationship and UK bilateral relations with countries in EU and wider Europe
@PAISWarwick @ukandeu.bsky.social @husseinkassim.bsky.social
📍 Coventry
🌐 livingwiththeneighbours.co.uk
- 🎥 Missed it? Catch up on key takeaways from The Starmer Government and Europe: Resetting Relations in Turbulent Times conference. The highlights here ⤵️ 🔗 ukandeu.ac.uk/videos/the-s...
- @husseinkassim.bsky.social Does the UK truly value people-to-people ties post-Brexit? 🇬🇧
- @monikameislova.bsky.social While Germany secured youth mobility talks, Czech officials note no such efforts, highlighting how symbolic gaps in cultural exchange can reflect deeper imbalances in diplomatic priorities. #UKEUStarmerEra #YouthMobility
- @adonispegasiou.bsky.social Cyprus raises people-to-people ties in every UK meeting, especially the loss of access to UK universities, once a major draw for tens of thousands of Cypriot students. 🇨🇾 trusts the EU, but knows this will take time. #UKEUStarmerEra
- @monikameislova.bsky.social From Prague’s view, Brexit helped rebalance the historically UK-dominant bilateral relationship, giving the Czech Republic more visibility and influence. Between 2022-24, new sectoral agreements have paved the way for practical collaboration. #UKEUStarmerEra
- The UK remains a key security partner for Czechia, with 25+ years of British military presence in Vyškov & close cooperation on Ukraine. The recent UK-EU summit’s defence partnership is welcomed, seen as vital to sustaining post-Brexit security ties. #UKPolitics #EUrelations
- Not all is perfect: Czechia is disappointed with the decline in youth mobility under the new ‘youth experience’ scheme, which risks losing access to popular UK opportunities for exchanges and self-development among young people. More work needed to fix this gap.
- @adonispegasiou.bsky.social - Cyprus-UK ties run deep, shaped by history and strategic links. With the UK as a UN Security Council member, Cyprus relies on its support. Despite surprises over Brexit, Cyprus aimed to maintain strong, balanced relations with the UK. #UKEUStarmerEra
- Post-Brexit, the Cyprus-UK Strategic Dialogue Framework (2022) has strengthened cooperation, with multiple meetings between Starmer’s government & Cyprus leadership. Starmer’s 1st UK PM visit in 50+ years to Cyprus signals improving ties, carefully navigating sensitive military base issues.
- Military bases remain complex: settled customs union arrangements avoid island border concerns. Though sovereignty debates arise Cyprus opts for pragmatism, holding off on raising military base issues until the broader Cyprus conflict is resolved. #UKPolitics #Cyprus
- At #UKEUStarmerEra Panel 5, @ignacio-molina.bsky.social highlighted Spain’s pragmatic approach to Brexit: regret over the UK's departure, yet acknowledgment that post-Brexit disruption, especially economically, has been limited.
- He noted Spain's early efforts to help avoid Brexit, even backing reforms that went against its own interests.
- Molina also detailed Gibraltar’s unique status post-Brexit: Spain aims to remove physical checks, symbolically reintegrating it while respecting sovereignty. Negotiations remain tricky over Schengen and security.
- He sees potential for better UK-Spain ties under Starmer, but notes real political engagement is still minimal.
- Panel 5: Final views from the national capitals 🇪🇸 @ignacio-molina.bsky.social 🇨🇾 @adonispegasiou.bsky.social 🇨🇿 @monikameislova.bsky.social Migration, trust, state strategy Chair: @husseinkassim.bsky.social #UKEUStarmerEra #EuropeSpeaks
- 📢 Last panel of the day coming up! Join us live at the conference "The Starmer Government and Europe: Resetting relations in turbulent times." 🎥 Watch the livestream here: 🔗 www.youtube.com/live/OZAhw_r... #UKEUStarmerEra #UKPolitics #EUrelations
- 🔵 Roundtable 2: Trade & Economic Strategy How deep can UK-EU trade ties go in the #StarmerEra? Chair: Paul Adamson Speakers: Allie Renison, Sir Martin Donnelly, Anton Spisak #UKEUStarmerEra #TradeAndTech
- 🎙️ @pauladamsmith kicked off: Why didn’t the UK-EU summit go deeper on trade? Was it timing? Trust? Political caution? Or just too complex right now? #UKEUStarmerEra #TradeAndTech
- 🇬🇧 Sir Martin Donnelly: EU couldn’t go deep without a clear mandate. Fear of UK “cherry picking” is real. No trust = no long-term strategy. UK must think like a former member if it wants real gains. #UKEUStarmerEra
-
View full thread📉 Allie Renison: Mini-deals without EU mandates have limits. Some topics were left off the table on purpose. Summits sharpen minds, but also cap ambition. #UKEUStarmerEra
- Interesting audience questions: How do conservative parties across Europe position themselves, especially post-Brexit? Is the UK’s “equidistant” stance between the US and EU sustainable? Could Labour’s strategy lead to a reform-led government? #Politics #Brexit #EU #UKPolitics
- How might EU relations change if a Farage-led government emerges? Is being in the middle on divisive issues a dangerous place to be? #UKEUStarmerEra
- @sophiestowers.bsky.social Brexit may have faded from top voter concerns (only 6% see it as a major issue now), but divisions remain. Pragmatic EU cooperation is supported on food standards & travel, yet fishing rights and migration still spark strong debate. #Brexit #UKPolitics #UKEUStarmerEra
- @sophiestowers.bsky.social How much has shifted on Brexit in just a few years? Around half now say Brexit was the wrong decision, with younger voters, who couldn't vote in 2016 against it. That’s reshaping the space for talks though some remain skeptical. #Brexit #UKPolitics #UKEUStarmerEra
- John Curtice on Brexit & Labour in 2024: Labour’s support is slipping among both Leave & Remain voters. Brexit still shapes politics deeply, especially on issues like fish quotas. Public opinion hinges on how these are framed - opportunity vs. sovereignty. #BrexitReset #UKEUStarmerEra
- Panel 4: Labour’s Strategy @timbale.bsky.social, John Curtice, @sophiestowers.bsky.social , @simonusherwood.bsky.social Chair: @sarahobolt.bsky.social Labour faces polling & policy constraints #UKEUStarmerEra #LabourAndEurope
- Panel 3: Dublin & The Hague 🇮🇪🇳🇱 Focus: Ireland on trust & NI stability; Netherlands on regulatory coordination & energy cooperation Chair: @kirstywarner.bsky.social #UKEUStarmerEra #BilateralRelations
- 🇮🇪 @brigidlaffan.bsky.social highlights Ireland’s emphasis on trust & stability in Northern Ireland amid Brexit fallout, vital for peace & economic ties. #NorthernIreland
- 🇳🇱 @remkorteweg.bsky.social stresses the need for regulatory coordination between the Netherlands & UK post-Brexit, focusing on North Sea energy & critical infrastructure. #NorthSeaEnergy #BilateralRelations
-
View full thread🇮🇪 Ireland’s Brexit strategy was to elevate the border issue to the EU level, protecting the single market and avoiding the border becoming a bargaining chip. #IrelandStrategy #EUUnity
- 🇨🇭 Panel 2: Bern René Schwok outlines Switzerland’s balancing act with the EU “Snowplough theory” of UK-led EU deals? Dead. Swiss-UK ties: pragmatic, sectoral, and slow. Non-tariff barriers as a sticking point. Chair: @cleodavies.bsky.social #UKEUStarmerEra #NeighbourStates
- Financial services deal between 🇬🇧🇨🇭: ✅ Broad (banking, insurance, asset mgmt) ✅ Built on regulatory equivalence ❌ Wouldn’t be possible inside EU/EEA Swiss view of Starmer: cautious at first, now largely relaxed - he looks like continuity. #BlueSkyEurope #UKCHrelations
- SAFE isn’t a blank cheque. 65% of funds must stay in EU/Norway/Ukraine Non-EU states must partner with an EU member UK’s in—but does it know the price of entry? Poland: key player, quieted by internal gridlock #Geopolitics #DefencePolicy #UKandEU #UKEUStarmerEra
- 🚨 Audience spotlight: The EU’s defence game is fragmenting by design. Regional plans are replacing central command (Med ≠ Arctic ≠ Baltics) Bilateral & trilateral pacts are the new normal SAFE is a breakthrough: EU funds now flowing beyond the bloc #EUdefence #SAFEinitiative #UKEUStarmerEra
- 📢 Join us live at the conference "The Starmer Government and Europe: Resetting relations in turbulent times." Watch the livestream here: 🔗 www.youtube.com/live/OZAhw_r... #UKEUStarmerera #UKPolitics #EUrelations
- 🔵 Roundtable 1: Defence in the Trump 2.0 Era Speakers: @edrusi.bsky.social, @nvondarza.bsky.social, susmonika.bsky.social, @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social Chair: @anandmenon.bsky.social The UK must now navigate NATO, EU defence, and a potential Trump return. #UKEUStarmerEra #DefencePolicy
- 🛡️ @nvondarza.bsky.social: The EU “SAFE” instrument marks a shift — for the first time, countries outside the EU single market (like the UK) can join industrial defence cooperation. A quiet but crucial political innovation. #EUdefence
- 🧩 Chair @anandmenon.bsky.social pushed back: "This is all very process-oriented... but is it actually meeting the moment?" With Ukraine, Russia, and a volatile US ahead — can EU-UK defence structures match the pace of real-world threats? #SecurityPolicy
-
View full threadToday’s threats are serious, but not yet “urgent enough” to force rapid reform.
- Reposted by Living with the Neighbours🇪🇺 Ambassador to the 🇬🇧 Pedro Serrano speaking about the #reset in relations @ukandneighbours.bsky.social @husseinkassim.bsky.social… the number plate on the ambassador’s car = a legacy of the Brexit negotiations. A reminder of how far 🇬🇧&🇪🇺 have come in the rapprochement
