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Editorial: El País

  • The UK and the EU are celebrating an agreement in their first post-Brexit bilateral summit, but concrete results do not match the rhetoric used.
  • Brussels harbours mistrust and caution towards a country that decided to leave the EU, looking to preserve a delicate and complex architecture.
  • The Labour government of Keir Starmer wants to approach the Union, but fears that this may cause discomfort among the British public, especially following Nigel Farage's electoral results.
  • The British must give up on reclaiming the advantages gained as EU members, and fear criticism from the eurosceptic right.
  • A constructive tone is celebrated, but many agreements are obvious or half-baked efforts.
  • A security and defence pact is the main achievement of the summit, acknowledging the obligation to cooperate between the two.
  • Starmer has extended the access of the Union's fishing fleets to British waters, in exchange for relaxing sanitary and phytosanitary controls.
  • The Labour government has postponed the youth mobility plan, showing fear that the arrival of community citizens may fuel controversy over immigration.

Conclusion: Although the constructive tone in the bilateral summit between the UK and the EU is celebrated, real progress is limited. Distrust and caution persist on both sides, and many of the agreements are provisional and non-resolute efforts. The summit has highlighted post-Brexit difficulties more than potential future benefits.