Brussels is ready to discuss closer trade ties with the UK, including the possibility of working together on a customs union, a senior EU commissioner said, signaling the EU’s clearest openness yet to renewed cooperation with Britain. In conversation with the BBC
After high-level talks in London, Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU’s economic affairs commissioner, said the EU was “ready to engage with an open mind” if the UK wants to pursue deeper economic alignment.
His comments come amid growing pressure on Labor to reconsider its stance on a customs union with the EU, as businesses and some MPs argue closer ties could help offset global trade uncertainty.
Dombrovskis also said the EU and UK could scrap “most” food controls between Britain and the bloc if an agreement is reached to align sanitary and phytosanitary rules, potentially easing one of the biggest sources of friction for exporters since Brexit.
The commissioner spoke after meetings with senior British ministers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and cabinet ministers Peter Kyle and Nick Thomas-Symonds.
The group, informally known by diplomats as “Quint,” is expected to meet regularly to coordinate responses to a rapidly changing global trade and security environment. Although it is not officially tasked with renegotiating the Brexit agreements, its creation signals a renewed willingness from both sides to work together.
At a public event alongside Dombrovskis, Reeves said stronger ties between Britain and the EU were becoming increasingly important as “we move towards a world where the rules are less clear”, pointing to heightened geopolitical and trade tensions.
A customs union would eliminate tariffs on goods traded between the UK and the EU and significantly reduce border bureaucracy. But critics argue that it would limit the UK’s ability to conclude independent trade deals as it would require Britain to join the EU’s common external customs and trade policies.
The Labor Party’s election manifesto ruled out rejoining the EU customs union or the single market and also rejected freedom of movement. But senior figures have increasingly acknowledged the economic case for closer alignment, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously suggesting a customs union could support growth.
Asked directly whether the EU would welcome talks on a customs union, Dombrovskis stopped short of making a commitment, but said: “We are ready to engage with an open mind and seek these areas of cooperation.”
He added that the EU was also open to discussions about alignment in certain areas of the internal market, but stressed that full membership of the single market would require acceptance of the four freedoms, including freedom of movement.
On defense, Dombrovskis said the EU remained open to further discussions on the UK’s participation in the €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defense loan program after talks on limiting the participation of British firms stalled last year.
“We know that the Prime Minister has expressed an interest in returning to this issue and there is certainly an openness from the EU side,” he said.
Progress has been stronger in other areas. Dombrovskis confirmed that talks over a youth mobility program were “very advanced” and said a forthcoming deal on food standards could scrap most border controls, provided the UK adheres to EU rules.
The Liberal Democrats, who have long supported a customs union, hailed the comments as a turning point. Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said the EU’s stance was “a significant moment that the government simply cannot ignore”.
The developments come against a backdrop of escalating global tensions, including US threats of tariffs and renewed uncertainty over international trade rules, which both London and Brussels see as an argument for closer cooperation.
