Fishing boats from the Republic will retain access to British fishing waters until at least 2038, under a new post-Brexit “reset” deal agreed between the UK and the European Union.
The deal also includes a commitment to co-operate on security and defence and an agreement to pare back some checks on food products sold from Britain into the EU, making trade easier.
It is understood the post Brexit reset includes an agreement that both sides would have access to the others’ fishing waters, allowing EU boats to fish in British waters until at least 2038. A Brexit-era deal that extended permissions for EU fishermen to catch in British waters was due to run out in 2026.
There will also be closer co-operation on energy supply between the UK and the EU as part of the deal.
It is understood the agreement contains a nod to future talks to hammer out a scheme that would allow young people to move between the UK and the EU to work or study. Negotiators did not manage to settle the details of how such a scheme would work, such as the number of years it would be limited to, a key concern of the UK side. Further negotiations will take place to agree a youth mobility scheme at a late date.
[ Defence pact likely to be centrepiece of EU-UK ‘reset’ summit in LondonOpens in new window ]
The deal cuts back on some of the red tape introduced after Britain’s exit from the EU, such as health and safety checks on agri-food products sold into the EU from Britain.
On efforts to tackle irregular migration - a key demand of the UK side - there is an agreement to share more information, such as fingerprint data, facial images and details of criminal records of migrants, between the UK authorities and Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.
The deal paves the way for the UK to enter into joint defence procurement contracts with EU states, including purchases and contracts funded by new cheap loans, backed by the EU budget to boost the amount the bloc spends on its defence.
The EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas will hold regular meetings with British foreign secretary David Lammy and defence secretary John Healey, to discuss ongoing security co-operation.
