King's College London

With the election of a new Government in July, participants considered what has been perceived to be a clear commitment in the Labour Party’s manifesto to ‘an ambitious new UK-EU security pact to strengthen cooperation on the threats we face.’ Speakers included former members of the armed forces and the EU Commission, in addition to high-profile guests from academia and public affairs.

The EU Ambassador to the UK Pedro Serrano, who previously visited King’s in 2023 to deliver a guest lecture on the EU’s relationship with the world attended the event, alongside other distinguished invited guests and Government officials.

The event is part of a research project led by the Institute for European Policymaking (IEP) at Bocconi University, Milan. The project aims to devise a practical strategy for developing the highest level of structured FSDP cooperation between the UK and the EU that is achievable in the medium term.

During the roundtable, participants considered whether an ambitious medium-term strategy is needed for the development of an overarching structure for cooperation between the UK and the EU, encompassing foreign, security and defence policy alongside counterterrorism and border control. The discussion also noted the importance of the UK identifying a set of realistic objectives to implement these goals for the immediate and long-term future.

It is hoped that that the formulation of a foreign, security and defence policy cooperation proposal will attempt to resolve issues including:

• The framework for cooperation
• Participation in EU missions and cooperation on sanctions
• Cooperation in developing defence capabilities
• Security and law enforcement outside the areas of foreign, security and defence policy
• The relationship with NATO and broader relations with allies.
• International reception

The discussion will be published with the intention to serve as a plausible template for a cooperation package capable of being negotiated with the EU.

Professor Oana Stefan, Director of the Centre of European Law delivered the institutional welcome on behalf of the Centre. The event was the latest in a series of events celebrating the Centre of European Law’s 50th anniversary.