Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 65
3rd Report – From a Common Understanding to Common Ground: Building a UK-EU Strategic Partnership fit for the future
Published 4 Mar 2026
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee The UK-EU reset: rebuilding a strategic partnership in uncertain times All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
It is disappointing that the recent meeting of the Partnership Council did not provide more clarity about the process or intended outcome of the Review. We ask the Government to clarify the outcome of the “evaluation of implementation” of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) that it has apparently undertaken; whether it was conducted unilaterally or jointly with the EU, and what stakeholder feedback was sought as part of it; to what extent the evaluation comprehensively mapped the implementation of the Agreement, particularly to identify underused or unimplemented provisions; and, in detail, what the outcome of the evaluation was. We also ask it to make clear whether the UK and EU now consider the Review mandated by Article 776 of the TCA to be completed, or, if not, what further work is planned and on what timescale. (Recommendation, Paragraph 184)
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, 3rd Report – From a Common Understanding to Common Ground: Building a UK-EU Strategic Partnership fit for the future (HC 857), 4 March 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 21 May 2026 (deadline 4 May 2026).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the Committee's contributions and says it has "considered the report's findings carefully", responding to the recommendations in turn, with many matters said to be subject to ongoing negotiation.
- On the Gibraltar Treaty, the Government says Parliament will be able to scrutinise it under the 2010 Act "once it has been signed", and that the Committee's views on a debate will be conveyed to the Leader of the House and business managers "for consideration".
- On Security Action for Europe (SAFE), the Government says it "was unable to reach an agreement" that met the national interest test, and that UK firms retain access to SAFE contracts under standard third-country terms.
- On the Sanitary and Phytosanitary and electricity negotiations, the Government says details are "subject to ongoing negotiations" and it "will not provide a running commentary". It aims to conclude ETS linking and Youth Experience talks by the next summit, and says the electricity agreement will come into force "within this parliament".
- On a dedicated Commons EU affairs committee, the Government says it "intends to consider the matter further", and on Galileo says it has no plans to rejoin.