EU and UK to hold summit on the 20th of next month to reset ties, including possible EU re-entry

[Financial News] A summit between the European Union (EU) and the UK, postponed once because of a change of prime minister in the UK, will be held on the 20th of next month.
The Council of the European Union announced on the 12th that António Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will invite UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Brussels, Belgium, on the 20th of next month for the second EU-UK summit.
In a press release issued that day, the Council of the European Union said, “The EU and the UK are partners who share common values, support multilateralism and a rules-based international order, and share a commitment to working to promote stability and prosperity in Europe and around the world.” It said it hoped the summit would strengthen the strategic partnership between the two sides and provide an opportunity to take a common position in their cooperation on peace and security in Europe.
The EU and the UK held their first summit in London last year and had initially planned to hold the second one this past July, but the schedule was delayed after former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer suddenly resigned.
In a speech at the ruling Labour Party’s annual conference on September 29, Prime Minister Burnham, Starmer’s successor, said Brexit (the UK’s departure from the EU) had done more harm than good. He proposed presenting various options for the UK’s relationship with the EU in time for a summit with the EU in November, and finding an agreed solution through a national debate.
The following day, in an interview with the BBC, he said the UK could go “all the way,” beyond returning to the European single market or customs union, hinting that he would also consider rejoining the EU.
Ten years ago, in 2016, the UK chose to leave the EU in a referendum. On the 11th, Prime Minister Burnham also said he had confirmed that Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum.


[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Correspondent Reporter