Ukraine war has changed Britain’s relationship with the EU – POLITICO

Below my chairmanship, the committee launched an inquiry into this topic in July 2023, specializing in three areas of cooperation which have developed for the reason that invasion — sanctions towards Russia, the EU-U.Okay. protection relationship and the reconstruction of Ukraine. We then acquired oral and written proof from many witnesses, and questioned Overseas Secretary David Cameron and the Minister for Europe and North America Leo Docherty.

Total, the committee discovered a lot to be constructive about in every of those areas of cooperation. And we’ve beneficial constructing on this profitable expertise of advert hoc cooperation with extra structured preparations for working collectively on international coverage sooner or later.

Because it stands, nonetheless, any discount in American assist for Ukraine, and for European safety extra broadly, may go away Europe badly uncovered. Due to this fact, the U.Okay., the EU and its member international locations want to organize for a state of affairs during which they might must tackle extra of the burden.

Proof offered to the committee on sanctions confirmed that coordination between the U.Okay., the EU and the U.S. on imposing an unprecedented vary of measures labored effectively total. The identical goes for the U.Okay.’s new post-Brexit sanctions regime — though the tempo at which these have been launched typically noticed each the Treasury and the Overseas, Commonwealth and Improvement Workplace swamped with inquiries and license functions.

Sanctions can solely have impression in the event that they’re applied and enforced successfully. And we heard worrying proof about Russia’s rising means to avoid sanctions by third-party states, in addition to their uninsured shadow tanker fleets. Witnesses additionally drew consideration to some weaknesses within the U.Okay.’s efficiency when it comes to imposing sanctions. Thus, in our report, we’ve pressed the federal government to set out the actions they’re taking to place this proper.

Moreover, the subsequent huge situation for sanctions coverage is prone to be the usage of frozen Russian belongings for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Whereas some witnesses famous the authorized complexities this could entail, Cameron made the tantalizing remark that “there’s a authorized path to doing this.” And the committee has thus requested for additional particulars.