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The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 February 2026.

Joint statement by the UK Minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds and the European Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič.

The United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) today held meetings of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Partnership Council in London. The meetings were co-chaired by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, and European Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič.

These were the first meetings of the two joint bodies to take place since the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025 in London, when the EU and UK leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the full, timely and faithful implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework and of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, as well as agreeing on areas to strengthen the relationship through a new Strategic Partnership.

Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee
The Joint Committee took stock of the state of play of the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, focussing on citizens’ rights, the Windsor Framework and the Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.

On citizens’ rights, the co-chairs reiterated their joint priority in protecting the rights of UK nationals in the EU and EU citizens in the UK, now and in the future. They welcomed the solution on the true and extra cohort enshrined in UK law and agreed to accelerate the transition from temporary to permanent residence of these citizens. They committed to further strengthen their cooperation on all pending citizens’ rights issues.

On the Windsor Framework, the co-chairs welcomed the positive trajectory in its implementation. They highlighted the new milestones reached for the benefit of people and businesses in Northern Ireland, including new simplified customs arrangements since May 2025 and reduced sanitary and phytosanitary checks since December 2025. They noted the transition to veterinary medicines arrangements in January 2026. They also noted positive developments in the delivery of safeguards for the protection of the EU Single Market, including customs IT access to all relevant UK systems and progress on sanitary and phytosanitary aspects. They agreed to continue work swiftly on delivery of all remaining safeguards.

The co-chairs welcomed a newly adopted Joint Committee decision on the implementation of the Windsor Framework. They also took stock of the ongoing exchange of views on the implications of the Artificial Intelligence and Cyber

Resilience Acts for the proper functioning of the Windsor Framework and agreed to work towards a conclusion at pace.

The co-chairs also discussed the Protocol relating to the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus and agreed to accelerate work to reach effective implementation of the Protocol in all areas.

TCA Partnership Council
The Partnership Council welcomed the Common Understanding agreed at the UK-EU Summit in May 2025 and the positive progress made in the implementation of the Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The co-chairs highlighted key deliverables achieved since the last meeting of the Partnership Council in May 2024, including the conclusion of the Competition Cooperation Agreement negotiations and decisions stemming from the UK-EU Summit. In particular, the UK and EU agreed to put reciprocal arrangements on fishing access on a long-term footing, to secure stability and continued access for both parties and to extend the TCA’s energy chapter on a continuous basis. The Partnership Council also noted the conclusion of negotiations between the Commission and the UK for the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027 and the conclusion of exploratory talks on the UK’s participation in the EU’s internal electricity market. The EU and the UK will proceed swiftly on these issues in line with their respective procedures, legal frameworks and in respect of their decision-making autonomy.

The UK and the EU recalled that the Common Understanding led to a number of negotiations for new agreements. They aim to conclude by the time of the next EU-UK Summit the negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme, on establishing a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area and on linking their Emissions Trading Systems.

In this light, the co-chairs also discussed the commitment under Article 776 of the TCA to jointly review the implementation of the agreement. They acknowledged the evaluation of implementation already undertaken by both sides, the on-going role of the Specialised Committees in considering and addressing new or outstanding points of implementation, and the agreement to hold annual summits. They also noted the importance of input from stakeholders, including the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly and the Domestic Advisory Groups.

The Partnership Council welcomed the third UK-EU dialogue on Cyber issues in December 2025, and discussed the next steps towards progressing cooperation on cyber security in line with Articles 704–707 of the TCA. The co-chairs looked forward to deepening the UK-EU partnership across these areas to address shared threats based on reciprocity and mutual interest.

In the area of trade and the economy, the co-chairs exchanged views on global challenges, including measures relating to global steel overcapacity, economic and

supply chain security, and parties’ respective industrial policy measures. They also discussed the development and implementation of their respective Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms.

The co-chairs also welcomed continued cooperation on security of supply and exchanges on clean energy technologies.

Finally, the Partnership Council took stock of the relationship on fisheries, acknowledging successful bilateral consultations, and discussing UK-EU cooperation in coastal state forums as well as upcoming fisheries management measures.

The co-chairs agreed that the joint bodies should continue to work at pace to take forward these priorities and reaffirmed their commitment to fully exploiting the potential of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.