3rd Report – From a Common Understanding to Common Ground: Building a UK-EU Strategic Partnership fit for the future

Select Committee
Foreign Affairs Committee HC 857 4 March 2026
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 85 items (39 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 85 of 85 classified)
Accepted 18
Accepted in Part 4
Acknowledged 50
Deferred 3
Not Addressed 7
Rejected 3
Government response
1st Special Report - From a Common Understanding to Common Ground: Building a UK-EU Strategic Partnership fit for the future: Government Response · published 21 May 2026
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Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results
33 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Business mobility is crucial to the UK services industry, and mutual recognition of professional qualifications...
Recommendation
Business mobility is crucial to the UK services industry, and mutual recognition of professional qualifications is one area where the Trade and Cooperation Agreement offers a clear mechanism for progress. We hope the Government and EU will use the new … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government accepts in part, stating it is actively engaging with the EU to enhance business mobility and remove trade barriers for professionals, but does not commit to establishing a shared roadmap for mutual recognition of professional qualifications by the next UK-EU summit for specific sectors.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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38 Recommendation Accepted in Part
We ask the Government to provide an update on the progress made in implementing the...
Recommendation
We ask the Government to provide an update on the progress made in implementing the areas of cooperation agreed with the EU at the Lancaster House summit relating to irregular migration and law enforcement since May 2025. We ask it … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government provides an update on strengthened cooperation with the EU, citing enhanced measures for tackling irregular migration and continued effective use of law enforcement mechanisms. It commits to ongoing dialogue but does not specifically clarify the focus of planned extradition discussions as requested.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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49 Conclusion Accepted in Part
As for the UK Government position, we note that Ministers have not explicitly ruled out...
Conclusion
As for the UK Government position, we note that Ministers have not explicitly ruled out making a financial contribution to the economic development of the EU’s lower-income Member States in a manner similar to Norway and Switzerland. Irrespective of the … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government clarifies that it will not make a financial contribution to the EU budget, directly responding to the committee's observation. It states that any potential future financial contributions would require clear benefits and be subject to robust parliamentary scrutiny, addressing the call for transparency.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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56 Recommendation Accepted in Part
We ask the Government to set out which of the possible areas of closer cooperation...
Recommendation
We ask the Government to set out which of the possible areas of closer cooperation referenced in the Security and Defence Partnership it intends to pursue further, and to provide an update on its work to “explore” UK re-entry into … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government is pursuing closer cooperation with the EU under the Security and Defence Partnership in areas which deliver practical results against shared threats, and they are participating in EU programmes such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+ and Copernicus. However, they have no plans to rejoin Galileo.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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