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<p>The return of geopolitics should be drawing the European Union and the United Kingdom closer together. Yet despite an ongoing “reset” and growing convergence on European security, Ukraine and defence cooperation—much of it taking place outside formal EU-UK structures—the relationship remains underdeveloped. This article argues that the problem is not a&#xa0;lack of shared interests but the absence of a&#xa0;mutually acceptable framework capable of translating them into sustained cooperation. Three sets of constraints explain this gap: UK domestic politics, the EU’s continued adherence to Single Market logic, and the enduring orientation of British foreign policy towards the transatlantic relationship and flexible coalitions. While each of these constraints is coming under pressure, none is likely to disappear in the near term. The challenge is therefore not to wait for more favourable political conditions, but to translate growing strategic convergence into practical cooperation while preparing for a&#xa0;potentially more ambitious phase of the relationship beyond the current political cycle.</p>

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Beyond Brexit management: strategic convergence and the future of EU-UK relations

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月22日

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  • Jake Benford

摘要

The return of geopolitics should be drawing the European Union and the United Kingdom closer together. Yet despite an ongoing “reset” and growing convergence on European security, Ukraine and defence cooperation—much of it taking place outside formal EU-UK structures—the relationship remains underdeveloped. This article argues that the problem is not a lack of shared interests but the absence of a mutually acceptable framework capable of translating them into sustained cooperation. Three sets of constraints explain this gap: UK domestic politics, the EU’s continued adherence to Single Market logic, and the enduring orientation of British foreign policy towards the transatlantic relationship and flexible coalitions. While each of these constraints is coming under pressure, none is likely to disappear in the near term. The challenge is therefore not to wait for more favourable political conditions, but to translate growing strategic convergence into practical cooperation while preparing for a potentially more ambitious phase of the relationship beyond the current political cycle.