“We are turning a page,” said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday after the first meeting at the UK block after Brexit. “We open a new head.”
This is not the first page that was reversed in the period after Brexit, but it is the most significant.
The two sides have already concluded a deal that covers fishing, trade, defense, energy and strengthening ties in a number of areas of politics that are still ready for negotiations.
For Brussels, this negotiations was a chance to bring the UK – a major defense power – closer to geopolitical turbulence.
And to deal with what some Member States see as Brexit's annoying hangover.
For years, there was a “Don't Touch” mentality when it was a broad view of the Brexit village, according to an EU diplomat.
Everything included “too much policy” with fears that everyone could go wrong. “
Remember, until 2023 Windsor Frame AgreementLondon and Brussels have been sunk in a long -term dispute over trade arrangements for Northern Ireland.
Then, in 2024, a new government won power in the UK – the more favorable for the EU Labor Party.
The officials in Brussels have long expressed annoyance-until no previous conservative administrations, a party with a vowel contingent supporting Brexit.
Some Brexit supporters are now casting a deal that is said to be the sale of sovereignty of bureaucrats in the EU.
Diplomats in Brussels, however, insist that this is a “normalization” of relations between neighbors who still look at the world in a widely similar way.
Given that there is obvious satisfaction with EU circles regarding the locking of fishing quotas for 12 years.
When I checked with a diplomat for this detail, they initially answered with a smiling face Emoji.
Another said: “The deal is balanced – probably with favorable EU conditions – and just shows that wonderful insulation is not an option in today's climate.”
Of course, the EU will want to emphasize its “victories” in negotiations with a former Member State, which badly shook the block by leaving.
Nevertheless, the coastal countries – more special France – will be glad that they do not have to endure annual negotiations for fish quotas.
Neighboring coastal countries, in particular France, did not want to suffer annual negotiations.
In the end, I was told Quid Pro Quo. The EU received its fishing transaction. In return, it will be easier for the United Kingdom business to export agro-food products, although this element is not finalized.
Also yet to smooth out are Plans for Youth MobileY – which would allow young people to study or work more easily between the UK and the EU.
This was a particularly important goal for countries such as Germany, which sought to gain better access to an English-language country with prestigious universities.
Another key point for Berlin was the new defense and security partnership.
The full -scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine and the unpredictable White House of Donald Trump has destroyed the rules of European security.
Time is something like a healer – but the events of recent years have also created a sense of urgency.
Better connections with the UK, which remains a major player of defense, is not a brain-so-now more than ever, for continental Europe, as it is trying to increase investments and opportunities.
Nations like Germany – who have only recently affected the goal of NATO's costs by 2% – are sharply aware that they have been left exposed by the dramatic global development of recent years.
But of course, the greater part of this transaction is in principle an agreement; A statement of intent on issues ranging in both cybersecurity, energy and migration.
“I think this is a good step,” another EU diplomat told me. “It's a good idea to test the waters for practical cooperation and what can be done. Let's take it from there.”
In Brussels, there is still careful caution about the impairment and dividing debate of the UK about EU relations.
All the specifics that have not yet been agreed could embarrass more political storms, whether it is political compromises or expenses.
This “reset” may not change the large foundations of Brexit – the United Kingdom remains outside a market and a customs union, but it engages London and Brussels to talk much more as they try to fill the many gaps that hide in this long list of ambitions.
This means that there will be a larger volume of diplomatic traffic between the United Kingdom and the EU.
Doing more business with Brussels inevitably means talking more. In this regard, today is only the beginning.