It is unlikely that the UK will be granted special terms for rejoining the EU

Brussels is unlikely to offer the UK special terms in the event of its potential return to the European Union after Brexit.

This is reported by The Guardian, citing officials involved in the Brexit negotiations.

Georg Rikels, a former adviser to the EU’s Brexit negotiating team, predicts that member states will, on the one hand, welcome Britain’s decision to return very warmly, but on the other hand, will be demanding of Britain in all procedures.

“The EU and Britain have a strategic need to work together, but I don’t think there will be a willingness to grant Britain another decade of exceptional privileges. The price of returning will be membership on standard terms,” he comments. 

During its 47 years of EU membership, Britain enjoyed an unprecedented special status that included exemptions from key policies, such as the single currency and Schengen rules; at the same time, London had significant influence over the EU agenda. 

Former Italian Minister for European Affairs Sandro Gozi is convinced that negotiations on Britain’s return will begin on standard terms. 

“It is absolutely clear that the time for special conditions is over, and it is clear that the United Kingdom’s negotiations must cover all the issues required of any candidate country,” he believes. 

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also warned that Britain should not expect conditions identical to those it had in the past. 

European Commission spokesperson Paula Pigno declined to comment on what the potential terms of accession negotiations for Britain might be—in particular, because this is still only a hypothetical possibility. 

Britain turned back a German MEP at the border.

Already 41 Labour Party MPs have publicly called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down as party leader.

Earlier, Starmer spoke of growing tensions in relations with the U.S.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, during which they discussed increasing pressure on the aggressor. The leaders paid particular attention to combating Russia’s shadow fleet and London’s contributions to the PURL program to strengthen the Ukrainian army.