EU could boost market access for UK, says top lawmaker

Finnish MEP Mika Aaltola, a key negotiator, suggested on Tuesday that the EU is exploring the possibility of closer economic ties with the U.K. ten years after Britain's departure from the bloc. Addressing policymakers at POLITICO’s Playbook Live Summit in Brussels, Aaltola, who chairs the Parliament’s delegation for relations with the U.K., said the EU is currently in the "conceptual drawing board" phase regarding its relationship with like-minded partners.

While Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed an "associate membership" bid for Canada during her State of the Union speech, Aaltola hinted that similar discussions may soon extend to the U.K. These talks could involve sectoral agreements or market freedom arrangements akin to those seen with Switzerland. Aaltola emphasized the need for such initiatives, stating that the EU is currently "stuck" between threats from Russia and tense relations with the U.S. administration led by President Donald Trump.

He noted that the global landscape is shifting rapidly, with the U.S. losing a war against Iran and Russia facing its own challenges. Despite this, the EU has been cautious about the likelihood of granting the U.K. associate membership, a status typically reserved for nations unable to physically join the union. The U.K. and EU have been planning a summit aimed at reviving their relationship, with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stating in New York that the focus for now is on a U.K.-EU summit planned for this year.