So, you thought we’d left the European Union? Think again. As the Christmas recess draws near, our Prime Minister’s special gift to the nation is a commitment to ‘closer alignment’ with the EU as the UK government seeks to re-set its relations with Brussels as a priority in 2025.
They need only insert the word ‘ever’ in front of ‘closer alignment’ and we are back on a one-way trajectory to full membership and a complete reversal of the Brexit Referendum result which is what they have always wanted.
We are as ever extremely grateful to Brexit Facts4EU for publicising the EU’s preconditions for any future discussions in a leaked memo that looks more like a ransom demand than a serious negotiating document.
A cursory glance should leave one in no doubt as to the folly of even attempting to sit around the table with an organisation whose express intent is to administer a punishment beating to the UK for daring to leave.
Every Brexit campaign lobby group in the land needs to be on amber alert at what is going on and to scrutinise every move that our newly elected government makes from hereon in. This is not a Christmas present anyone should ever wish for.
What follows is a summary of the leaked document with a link to the original report beneath it.
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Leaked document lays bare EU’s totally unacceptable demands and shows it hasn’t changed
This leaked document from the EU Council has been been obtained by Facts4EU.Org – and now by most media organisations. It falls to us to summarise quickly and clearly why the EU’s demands are wholly unacceptable and should be robustly rejected by the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
In this report we look at what the EU’s document says in five key areas. We consider its implications for the newly independent United Kingdom, in the light of the UK Prime Minister’s avowed intention to seek ‘closer alignment’ with the EU. Nothing in this document surprised us, but it does at least make the EU’s thinking very clear.
This in turn means that Sir Keir Starmer can be questioned on the specifics of what it contains – and what his response is or will be.
Summary
The leaked EU document
- UK repatriation of EU’s illegal boat and other migrants back to EU : Rejected
- Free movement : For all under 30s, for education or other reasons
- Northern Ireland : To remain part of the EU, under the ECJ
- EU to have permanent access inside UK territorial waters
- Defence : Contribution to EU Common Security & Defence Policy missions/operations, participation in PESCO
- And much more…
- PLUS: Agreement on things the UK might want – explicitly conditional on accepting some of the above first
[Source: EU Council text, 03 Dec 2024.]
Excerpts from the leaked document, plus link to the full memorandum
Below we quote from the EU’s document on the five key areas outlined above. Readers who wish to explore in more detail can do so by reading the EU Council’s ‘Memorandum’ in full here. (17-page PDF)
Credit: EU Council
1. UK ‘repatriation’ of EU’s illegal boat and other migrants back to EU is rejected
“The discussion showed that while there was a general openness to consider ways to improve cooperation with the United Kingdom on tackling irregular migration, moving towards an agreement on readmission would be unacceptable for many Member States.”
ALL of the 140,000 illegal boat migrants who have been escorted to the UK’s waters by the French Navy since 2018 have come from the safe EU countries of France and a small number from Belgium. Despite this, the EU refuses to discuss the UK’s repatriation of these illegals even though the EU has similar agreements with other countries.
2. Free movement for all under 30s, for educational or other reasons
“Such an agreement would offer new mobility opportunities for young persons between 18 and 30 years for a limited period of time [per person – Ed.], and would address key impediments of student mobility.”
“…Erasmus+, the culture strand of Creative Europe, the European Solidarity Corps and Horizon Europe. Since the United Kingdom has opted to participate only in Horizon Europe there are further options to consider and exploit. Member States would welcome the UK’s participation in these programmes, especially in Erasmus+.”
Separately the EU has made it clear that the free movement of the under 30s is a pre-requisite for agreement on what the UK wants on other matters. They want this free movement for all under 30s, not just those on the Erasmus+ programme.
Erasmus+ is NOT a only student exchange programme, as we have previously shown. In fact very little of it relates to students. Secondly, almost all the traffic was one-way: from the EU to the UK. British students and young people barely used it. Their British teachers and lecturers, by contrast, used it a great deal. Finally, it is hugely expensive and the UK would be expected to pay an exorbitant amount for membership, despite barely benefiting at all.
3. Northern Ireland to remain part of the EU, under EU laws and under the EU Court of Justice
“Member States follow with particularly close attention the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement regarding citizens’ rights and the Windsor Framework [by Rishi Sunak – Ed.], where solving outstanding implementation deficiencies require significant further efforts from the United Kingdom.”
“The discussion showed that Member States are open to considering an agreement with the United Kingdom in respect of Great Britain that would remove the SPS border between Great Britain and the Union on condition that there is full alignment to the Union acquis, and the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union is preserved for the interpretation of Union law. Certain measures in this area will require immediate alignment. The Union should not be ready to negotiate an SPS agreement based on the equivalence of legislations.”
“An agreement on SPS would also need to cover a financial contribution of the United Kingdom”
Jim Allister KC MP, Leader of the TUV, commented on our report
“It is clear the ever-aggressive EU is determined not only to copper-fasten its sovereignty grab over Northern Ireland, but now wishes to entrap GB into fuller alignment through an SPS deal, which, most notably, is anticipated as solely with GB, not the UK, as it already has full control in NI of SPS issues. And, of course, on the basis of further financial contribution.
It’s time for the UK government to rediscover its dignity and take back control over all of its own territory, rather than compliantly surrendering more control to Brussels.”
– Jim Allister KC MP, Leader of the TUV, speaking to Facts4EU, 17 Dec 2024
Currently Northern Ireland lives under EU laws over which neither its people nor its politicians have any say. The province is slowly being cut off from mainland GB and its place within the United Kingdom is under serious threat. We have shown on numerous occasions why the EU’s argument that the NI Protocol and Windsor Framework are needed to preserve the peace is a complete fiction. There is an alternative and it has been there for all to see for many years now.
4. Permanent EU access inside UK territorial waters
“… the maintenance of the status quo, as reflected in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, beyond 30 June 2026, is essential for Member States… Long term commitments on access to waters is seen as key to provide the necessary certainty and predictability.”
“It was also emphasised that a reset between the Union and the United Kingdom is only credible if it is based on an early understanding on this between the Parties. This is needed for the facilitation of discussions on the other aspects under consideration.”
So, the EU insist on their permanent right to enter and fish in UK territorial waters. Furthermore, without this they will not discuss other issues of importance to the UK.
5. The EU wants binding commitments to suck the UK into its Common Security & Defence structures
“Many potential areas of cooperation were mentioned, e.g. contribution to EU CSDP missions/operations, participation in PESCO, tackling cyber and hybrid threats, including foreign information manipulation and interference, cooperation in the field of defence, counterterrorism, maritime security, sanctions and consular cooperation.”
“While the interests expressed by Member States extended to areas requiring binding commitments, the conclusion of a Security and Defence Partnership was seen as an option.”
In essence, the EU wants three things : the UK’s defence capabilities, the UK’s money, and the UK’s superb intelligence services. It doesn’t only want these, it needs them. It is already pulling the UK into its Permanent Structured Cooperation organisation, thanks to Rejoiner civil servants in the MoD agreeing to this.
Next it wants a ‘Security and Defence Partnership’, leading to “binding commitments”. This is the classic EU way. Start with something sounding innocuous and then when no-one is looking, introduce a new Treaty with binding commitments.
We would like to thank Brexit Facts4EU.Org for their permission to re-publish this article. For a copy of the full report please click on the link here.
Main image: Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2024
