Minister for European Union Relations speech at College of Europe
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-16)

Delivered by Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for European Union Relations

Hello everyone, it really is a pleasure to be here with you all.

The College is a very important place…

…not just for the whole of Europe, but also, to the much smaller domain of my own private office.

One of my private secretaries - who is in the audience today - studied here in 2022.

And when I asked for some advice on the speech, he said the one thing I should make clear…

… is that the best residence is, unquestionably, Oude Zak.

Hopefully that is the only controversial thing I say today.

Of course, he is one of the thousands of students that have studied here since 1949…

…some of whom have become presidents, prime ministers and politicians of all kinds.

This is a place where big ideas are born and discussed.

And is there a more fitting city for them to be raised in?

Bruges is unquestionably one of the finest cities in Europe…

…second only to Cardiff, of course…

…with a history of international trade and cooperation.

It’s a history made very real by its medieval buildings which would have been the site of great commerce.

I believe that this history of partnership and trade is the future of Europe.

But in a world that is trying to split the Continent, that future is not guaranteed.

We must actively choose that future…

…to steer towards stability and security, and avoid fracture, and the weakness it brings.

But this is not a purely intellectual pursuit; the challenges that face us are very real.

A cost-of-living crisis, tariffs and bureaucratic barriers are all making trade more complex.

Security challenges like illegal migration and criminal gangs have a profound impact on our societies.

And Europe is now three and a half years into a war that has seen millions of casualties, so our collective defences have never been more important.

The UK stands alongside the EU in tackling all these challenges.

The UK is committed to a stable Europe by focusing more on increasing trade…

…strengthening our defences…

…and collaborating on our security challenges.

Today, I want to talk about how we are moving away from the ideological separation between the UK and the EU that has dominated the last decade.

And I think the relationship between the UK and this College provides us some useful context for our current position.

Even before the College was founded, the UK supported what Winston Churchill called ‘a United States of Europe’.

In his speech in Zurich in 1946, he thought a council of Europe was the best thing for the “quivering mass of tormented, hungry, careworn and bewildered human beings”…

…who were left throughout the continent after the Second World War.

With this spirit, the UK backed the College’s mission as the ‘laboratory of the European renaissance’…

…dedicated to building across the social, economic and political landscape of the continent.

Indeed, many British politicians and scholars have visited the College – from across the political divides – to help shape the UK’s future relationship with Europe among its future leaders.

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The referendum of 1975 secured our position in what became the European Union and the single market.

It was a debate which the then Prime Minister spoke candidly about – without the use of slogans or flash gimmicks.

Harold Wilson wanted the discussion to be a sober one, where the facts were plainly put -

The Brexit referendum of 2016 couldn’t have been more different in its approach.

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As a result, I think many were blindsided by the realities of leaving the European Union…

…most obviously in trying to tackle the challenges in Northern Ireland - which led to ongoing tension in the relationship.

The Windsor Framework went a long way to resolving many of the issues we have experienced.

Although Brexit brought a lot of change, it also showed us questions that had been left unanswered.

Beyond the ideology, what did we want our relationship with Europe to be?

There seemed little desire to move beyond the status quo…

…even though there was clearly lots of opportunity for cooperation which respected the outcome of the referendum.

Could we use the very thing we hold highest – our country’s sovereignty – as a divining rod…

…using it to navigate the future of our relationship with the EU?

This is the question that the Government faced when we were elected.

And our answer was a new relationship, built on pragmatism and the fact.

We campaigned on a platform which sought a more constructive, mutually beneficial relationship with our European partners.

We wanted to move the conversation on from what differentiated us from the EU…

…and talk more about how we could form a closer partnership which respected the will of the British people.

The present: a pragmatic, sovereign Britain

This mission is what has guided the reset of our relationship with the European Union.

Without rejoining the single market, or the customs union, we can still build a valuable relationship with the EU…

…one that genuinely benefits Britain and our European partners.

We are doing away with the status quo, frankly because it just didn’t work as well as it could.

It was the only trade deal that made trade with our biggest trading partner harder…

…it missed opportunities to tackle international crime together…

…and we need a relationship that helps us build on our long-standing defence partnerships.

Righting these wrongs is at the very heart of our negotiations with the European Union.

These will take time…

…but the point is that we are having those conversations out in the open about what a new relationship with Europe could look like.

This is not a race to the bottom on standards; this is about having demonstrable positive results for our citizens.

And we will continue to seek regulatory alignment where it benefits businesses and consumers.

A crucial part of that discussion is about our sovereignty.

The lack of nuance around this has stymied any sort of practical discussion about partnership between the UK and the EU since 2016.

But I could not have been more direct about my approach here: sovereignty does not stop deep cooperation; it should enable it.

Sovereignty is not some delicate fossil…

…it should be a modern tool which helps us to make pragmatic decisions about the future.

All this means some alignment on standards…

…but only where it benefits bilateral trade and provides a better choice for our business leaders and consumers.

It will help UK and EU Agrifood businesses - those that export and import crops, livestock, fish and much more - who have been subject to hundreds of pounds worth of export fees and tariffs since the UK left the EU.

It will help create a more energy resilient continent.

By linking the UK and the European energy and carbon markets, we can lower prices for industries and households, making us more resilient to price shocks.

It will help us tackle some of our biggest security challenges - like hybrid threats, cyber attacks and people smuggling gangs.

You see this already happening with the UK and France…

…working together to help bring those who smuggle people across the English channel to justice.

In this new relationship, pragmatism and reciprocity are the guideposts, not ideology.

We hope that the EU will approach their sovereignty in the same way…

…ensuring that like minded parties with strong social and environmental rules and strong rule of law can cooperate on collective endeavours.

It’s why - as part of our negotiations - we are looking at more opportunities which could support both the UK and Europe.

For example, on youth mobility, we believe that giving the opportunity for young people to learn and get experience is vital…

…giving young people across the UK and EU a chance to study, work, live abroad - build friendships, understanding and creating opportunities.

We see the benefit of that mindset right here, in this College.

And in this very room, there are even British students who have benefitted from the opportunity to travel and study here.

All this I have spoken about is real progress.

But there will be people who see all this progress - the businesses freed from fares, energy bills becoming more affordable, the greater national security from international cooperation…

…and deride it as simply just an attack on our sovereignty.

They will be guided by an ideology which has caused untold trouble in British life…

…an ideology that has borne bitter fruits.

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So, let me say this: we have not taken down barriers to co-operation and trade to make people safer and more prosperous…

…only to see them re-imposed by those driven only by narrow ideology in the UK. Our aim is a modern and mutually beneficial relationship with the EU…

…one that delivers real value, that respects the outcome of the referendum.

These negotiations will take time - but we want there to be a rigorous and achievable timetable in able to legislate and implement the changes.

I think this would provide plenty of opportunities for reflection and discussion in this College.

With the alumni and research programmes available here…

…there would be some remarkable and valuable insight which negotiators would benefit from hearing.

This trade will not only drive prosperity, but it will allow us to drive more money into the things that matter…

…of which, unquestionably, European defences are of the highest priority.

It is clear that Europe needs to stand up to international aggression…

…and that we must find – and fund – new ways of keeping the continent secure.

While it’s right our trade and security measures are negotiated thoroughly… …our new defence partnerships do not have the same luxury of time.

What is happening in Ukraine is abominable…

…the loss of life, the destruction of so many homes and historic landmarks, the constant fear and pressure put on innocent people.

But the Ukrainians are strong-willed and are passionately defending their country. I think that is a great gesture by the College, in order to highlight the atrocities of the European War, to offer this year’s ‘Patronne de Promotion’ to Victoria Amelina, the Ukrainian poet and novelist who was killed in a Russian strike.

She wrote movingly in her posthumously published war journal ‘Looking at Women Looking at War’ about how the conflict had changed her life.

When she finds out about the invasion in February 2022, she is visiting Egypt with her child and, unable to fly into Ukraine, she tries desperately to fly into the Czech Republic.

Then, Europe takes on a wholly new meaning for her.

She writes…

“The term ‘Europe’ will be redefined in the next few days. The world is transforming, and the meaning of words are changing; I feel it, in my inability to pronounce ‘war’, the quietness of my son, and the gaze of the Czech border control officer. I weep not only because we are let in, but because it seems that - in looking at me - people have started seeing not me, but war. I am war. We Ukrainians all became a war. Nothing else about us matters now, only it - the catastrophe that has just begun.”

We see - every day - how this catastrophe continues.

The Prime Minister - alongside other European leaders - condemned the barbaric attack on Ukraine and the egregious, alongside the unprecedented violation of Polish and Romanian and airspace by Russian drones.

Europe’s inspiring show of unity against Russia shows the severity of the threat we all face.

I know from my own personal experience from meeting defence officials of the Baltic Sea States…

…many with frontline experience on their border with Russia and Ukraine…

…that the threat they feel is not theoretical, it is existential.

In the face of this aggression, the UK stands with Europe in its protection of Ukraine.

Our support is multifaceted - we are giving everything we have got to this conflict…

…sanctions, diplomatic pressure, humanitarian support and assistance to their armed forces.

Just look at recent events: members of our Royal Family visiting Kyiv to show their support…

…and our Foreign Secretary visiting President Zelenskyy, committing further aid for Ukrainians, alongside new military hardware.

We have also made clear that Ukraine will only prevail with backing from the USA…

…a point which the Prime Minister will be making directly to President Trump during his State Visit this week.

We have been unequivocal about the need to bolster security across the European continent.

The Prime Minister has been clear that we must look at how we safeguard each other – through our alliances; NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force and through direct country-to-country connections too.

It was a point stressed when he created the ‘Coalition of the Willing’…

…building on our efforts to put pressure on Putin…

…keep military aid flowing to Ukraine and strengthen sanctions on the Russian war machine.

We will always be a NATO-first country - committing to more collective defence - where shared priorities of defence are absolute priorities.

And, as part of that, we are building relationships alongside this commitment in order to keep Europe secure.

Which is why, during the very first UK-EU Summit, we committed to a new Security and Defence Partnership.

It’s a promise to build multilateral defences against common threats - everything from tackling cyber attacks and violent extremism to increasing our peacebuilding missions and the resilience of our critical infrastructure.

We are living through a generational moment in the history of our continent, and the time to act is now.

The time for ideological separation is over…

…the time for practical solutions to our shared problems is now.

No more push and pull - instead, a ruthlessly pragmatic approach.

Working together to overcome trade barriers…

…meet our common security challenges…

…and strengthen our shared defences to stand up to international aggression.

All underpinned by a commitment to find new opportunities for young people in the UK and the EU…

…from a youth experience scheme, offering young people the chance to work, live and study abroad…

…to working towards rejoining the Erasmus Plus Programme.

All of you here have committed yourselves to this idea, a Europe that faces the future with hope and partnership. That is something worth holding onto.

We have seen, throughout the 20th Century, what happens when Europe turns away from collaboration.

I understand you are all visiting Flanders Field tomorrow.

It is an incredibly moving place…

…emblematic of the turmoil and upheaval caused by conflict.

But the choice to leave these hardships in the past…

…and lead Europe into a peaceful future built on partnership rests…

…in all of you.

As John McCrea put it in his poem ‘In Flanders Fields’: “To you, from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high.”

Thank you very much.