Making the UK–EU Reset Summit Count

Submitted by: 12 party members
Mover: James MacCleary MP (Spokesperson for Europe).
Summation: Helen Maguire MP (Spokesperson for Defence).

1. Liberal Democrats have been the only voices in Parliament consistently and unashamedly championing closer economic, defence and cultural ties with Europe, following the Conservatives botched deal with the EU.
2. Liberal Democrats have been pushing for the Labour Government to be much more ambitious in rebuilding our links with the EU, including through:
   1. Calling for a new, bespoke UK–EU Customs Union by 2030 which would boost UK growth and cut red tape for our businesses.
   2. Campaigning for new opportunities for our young people to enable them to live, work, and study more easily across Europe.
   3. Pushing for a new Rearmament Bank with the EU – backing the proposal from Liberal Democrats Edward Lucas and Guy de Selliers – which would support enhanced financing for defence programmes across the UK and Europe.
3. Deepening UK–EU economic ties even short of a Customs Union could generate £25 billion a year for the Exchequer, allowing the Government to invest in fixing our NHS, schools and other public services.
4. After consistent Liberal Democrat pressure, the Government took initial, limited steps to rebuild ties with the EU at May’s ‘Reset’ Summit, enacting Liberal Democrat calls including:
   1. Agreeing to begin talks on youth mobility.
   2. Establishing a new Security and Defence Partnership.
   3. Securing a mandate to negotiate a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) agreement.

Conference regrets that the Government failed to show real ambition to renew the UK’s relations with the EU – as it continues to refuse to entertain the prospect of membership of the Single Market or the Customs Union – and that so little was achieved on other vital issues, including:

1. A lack of concrete progress on securing an agreement for UK touring artists.
2. The failure to agree mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
3. No substantial progress on agreeing UK associate membership of the European Defence Agency (EDA).
4. The lack of clarity about how the introduction of the EU’s Entry/Exit Scheme could lead to severe disruption for UK travellers.

Conference believes the best way to secure closer cooperation with Europe is to ensure that even more Liberal Democrat MPs and Councillors are elected across the country.

Conference further believes that:

1. Strengthening our economic ties with Europe will not only boost growth at home, but also insulate us from President Trump’s irrational trade war.
2. Strengthening our security ties with Europe will allow us to reduce our strategic dependence on an unpredictable President Trump and enable us to meet our commitments to NATO, support Ukraine and deter Putin.

Conference reaffirms:

1. The policy recommendations proposed in conference motions The UK’s Response to Trump (March 2025) and Rebuilding Trade and Cooperation with Europe (2022).
2. Our four–stage approach to rebuilding our relationship with Europe, and our longer–term objective of UK membership of the EU.

Conference calls on the Government to build on the positive but limited steps taken at the ‘Reset Summit’, including by:

1. Providing certainty to UK exporters about the timeline for implementing a SPS agreement, and to UK travellers on when they will be able to use airport e–gates across the EU.
2. Immediately beginning talks on agreeing a new, bespoke UK–EU Customs Union, which would cut red tape for businesses across our country and act as an antidote to anaemic economic growth.
3. Moving rapidly to agree a Youth Mobility Scheme, creating vital new opportunities for our young people.
4. Securing association with EU regulatory framework agencies such as the European Chemicals Agency, European Aviation Safety Agency and European Medicines Agency.
5. Agreeing the UK’s associate membership of EDA and expanding our engagement with PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation) projects.
6. Expanding cooperation over defence–industrial issues between the UK and member states of the EU, NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force.
7. Committing the UK to join the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Operation Althea, recognising the importance of promoting stability in the Balkans and following the political decision by the Conservatives to withdraw the UK from this mission.

Applicability: Federal.

Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see pages 6-7 of the agenda. You can submit a speaker's card online here from Monday 15 September up to 08.00 Monday 22 September or in person.

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 8 September; you can submit amendments online here, see pages 9–10 of the agenda for more information. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Monday’s Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Sunday 21 September; you can request separate votes here, see page 5 of the agenda for more information.