1st Report - Unfinished Business: Resetting the UK-EU relationship

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 sets out the progress of the reset, while stating that talks on the UK-EU Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument did not conclude and that several negotiations remain ongoing.

• On electricity, the government says exploratory talks on UK participation in the EU internal market concluded in December, with details on implementation "to be shared in due course", and that a decision on when current arrangements will be superseded will be taken "in the first half of 2026".
• On defence, the government states that the UK and EU "have not been able to conclude these negotiations" on SAFE, saying it will only sign agreements "in the national interest", while exploring other mutual involvement in defence initiatives.
• On the Youth Experience Scheme, the government is "aiming to conclude negotiations" by the next EU-UK summit, and says any scheme will be capped and subject to a visa requirement, with exact parameters "subject to ongoing negotiation".
• On scrutiny, the government commits to being "as open and transparent with Parliament as it can be whilst protecting its negotiating position", including private briefings to the Committee.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error