Why the EU remains important to the UK?

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The EU is important to the UK—even after Brexit—because of geography, economics, security, and diplomacy. Here’s a breakdown of why the EU still matters deeply to the UK:

Geographic Proximity = Strategic Reality

  • The UK is just 20 miles from France. It shares borders by sea and major transport links (e.g. Channel Tunnel).
  • This means the UK and EU are inevitably interconnected—in trade, migration, and security.
  • Geography makes cooperation practical, not optional.

Trade and the Economy

  • The EU is the UK’s largest trading partner. As of 2024:
    • Around 42% of UK exports go to the EU.
    • The UK imports more from the EU than anywhere else.
  • UK businesses still follow many EU rules (e.g. product standards) to access the Single Market.

Even post-Brexit, trade friction affects sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and services—making EU relations vital to economic stability.

Migration and Labour

  • EU nationals make up a significant part of the UK workforce—especially in healthcare, construction, agriculture, and hospitality.
  • Post-Brexit immigration changes have caused shortages, making continued cooperation on visas, mutual recognition of qualifications, and labour policy key.

Peace in Northern Ireland

  • The Good Friday Agreement (1998) is built partly on open borders between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
  • The Northern Ireland Protocol—agreed with the EU—is designed to avoid a hard border, but remains politically sensitive.
  • Stable UK–EU relations are crucial to peace and political stability on the island of Ireland.

Security and Counterterrorism

  • The UK and EU share intelligence, criminal databases, and cooperate on counterterrorism, organised crime, and cyber threats.
  • While the UK is no longer in EU policing structures like Europol, bilateral and multilateral cooperation continues.
  • This is especially vital for handling cross-border crime, illegal trafficking, and hybrid threats from hostile states.

Science, Research and Education

  • The UK has rejoined Horizon Europe, the EU’s main science and innovation funding scheme.
  • UK universities and researchers benefit from collaborative projects and funding—boosting science, tech, and innovation.

Foreign Policy Influence

  • The EU is a major global actor—economically, diplomatically, and normatively (e.g. human rights, environmental standards).
  • The UK often shares foreign policy goals with the EU (e.g. on Ukraine, climate change, China).
  • Coordinated EU–UK positions are more powerful in global forums like the UN, WTO, and G7.

Diplomatic Relations and Soft Power

  • The UK still has embassies and diplomats across the EU.
  • EU countries are key allies in NATO, the Council of Europe, and bilateral defence and trade arrangements.

Strong EU relations help the UK maintain global influence, project soft power, and remain a key player in European affairs, even from outside the bloc.

:white_check_mark: In Summary:

The EU is important to the UK because of:

  • Trade
  • Security
  • Shared geography
  • Peace in Northern Ireland
  • Science, research, and diplomacy

Brexit changed the framework of the relationship—but not the importance of the EU to Britain’s stability and success.

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