Changes from plenary report to adopted text

181. Stresses the importance of stronger and more stringent cooperation between the EU and the UK, not only on fisheries and marine protected areas management, but in general on maritime spatial planning, as well as on technical, control, customs and sanitary measures involving all bodies, including the Specialised Committee on Fisheries; calls for both parties to improve the functioning and transparency of governance bodies by ensuring prior discussion ahead of setting measures, which should be based on sound scientific and socio-economic considerations and should be neither discriminatory nor liable to prevent the actors concerned from reaching the quotas allocated to them;

182. Calls on the Commission to be particularly vigilant that the conditions set and the agreed terms are complied with and to respond strongly if the UK were to act in a discriminatory manner; encourages, furthermore, the Commission, within the Specialised Committee on Fisheries, to adapt customs, sanitary and control constraints for landings by the vessels of one party on the territory of the other party, for example by putting in place a joint control plan between the UK and individual Member States, provided that equivalent guarantees of traceability and conformity of seafood products are given; stresses the need to secure logistical circuits for both imports and exports by removing obstacles linked to the absence of health and customs controls in certain ports;

183. Expresses increasing concerns about the increasing number of infringements committed by UK vessels in EU waters; calls on the Member States’ authorities to strengthen maritime surveillance capacities, increase controls and apply appropriate sanctions;

184. Calls for the parties to ensure the coherence, compatibility and interoperability of their control measures, including the remote electronic monitoring and camera systems put in place to avoid adding an excessive administrative or financial burden, and not to deviate unreasonably from one another; reiterates that both parties should be in close dialogue with sector representatives before adopting these measures;

185. Notes that the Specialised Committee on Fisheries has met nine times since the entry into force of the TCA; regrets, however, the lack of transparency and accountability of this body; requests that members of Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries be involved in and invited to attend the meetings to allow proper scrutiny, and that meeting minutes and documents be shared as soon as possible;

186. Calls for the EU and the UK to strengthen their efforts to promote the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources, to increase cooperation and exchanges of good practices to improve selectivity and reduce the impact of certain fishing practices, and to fully implement the ecosystem-based approach;

187. Calls for both parties to reinforce their cooperation and coordination at international level, within the framework of regional fisheries management organisation or with coastal states on shared fish stocks management; highlights the need for the EU and the UK to intensify their cooperation in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and to support the actions needed to eradicate it in all international forums, with special attention paid to strengthening rules on the transparency and traceability of imported seafood products;

188. Reminds both parties of the need for greater cooperation in their actions regarding maritime spatial planning, particularly with regard to conflicts between offshore windfarm projects and conservation objectives or with the fisheries sector; calls for a balanced approach between all interests concerning the use of maritime space, which should weigh environmental, economic and social dimensions, ensuring consistency and fairness across sectors;

189. Calls for joint efforts by both parties to promote scientific research and exchange best practice to identify and remove ammunition from the seafloor;

190. Calls for all the parties to ensure that the issuing of licenses and authorisations for EU vessels to fish in UK and Crown Dependency waters is carried out without administrative, taxation or financial hurdles;

191. Calls on the Commission, given the specific situation of the Channel Islands, to facilitate collaboration between the parties through better links between regional dialogue and the Quad Meeting; calls for the parties to involve representatives of the fisheries sector, all relevant stakeholders, and local and regional authorities, and to promote the fisheries co-management model;

Social security coordination

193. Welcomes the Commission’s assessment that EU-UK cooperation in the area of social security coordination has been constructive, with no systemic or structural issues identified in 2023 or 2024, and with both parties committed to solving any issues that may emerge in the implementation of the Protocol on Social Security Coordination to the TCA; notes the decisions of the Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination in relation to detached workers and self-employed persons and to clarify certain financial aspects; stresses the importance of a dynamic protocol, which aligns with the revisions of the social security coordination provisions; calls for continued efforts to simplify procedures, ensure consistent interpretation across the Member States and the UK, and enhance access to social security for citizens through improved guidance, digital tools and administrative cooperation;

194. Notes that the Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination carried out technical work on topics such as changes to structured electronic documents and portable documents, procedures for reimbursing the cost of sickness benefits, and the transposition of relevant decisions of the EU’s Administrative Commission for the Coordination of Social Security Systems; calls on the committee to intensify its efforts and deliver tangible progress on improving procedures, ensuring uniform interpretation across the Member States and the UK, and improving the coordination of social security rights for mobile and cross-border workers;

195. Underlines the importance of ensuring decent, fair and safe working conditions for seasonal workers, particularly in essential sectors such as agriculture, tourism and construction; calls on the Commission to promote, within the context of the implementation of the TCA, the establishment of a specific mechanism for the mobility of seasonal workers, including common standards on duration of employment, access to social security and protection against exploitation, with safeguards comparable to those laid down in Directive 2014/36/EU;

196. Calls on the Commission to assess the feasibility of establishing a single EU-UK contact point for reporting violations of workers’ rights, barriers to accessing social benefits, or issues related to the recognition of cross-border employment contracts;

197. Takes note of the importance and value of the EU social model and calls on the UK Government to extend the non-regression clause to the entire EU social acquis;

Participation in EU programmes

198. Reiterates its view that the section of the TCA on UK participation in EU programmes, sound financial management and financial provisions constitutes a fair basis for UK participation and helps to ensure the protection of the EU’s financial interests; underlines the need for transparent budgeting and cost-sharing arrangements;

199. Strongly welcomes the fact that, under Protocols I and II to the TCA, the UK is participating in Horizon Europe and the Copernicus component of the EU space programme and has access to services of the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking component of the EU space programme; highlights the benefits, for the EU and its citizens, of non-EU country participation in EU programmes; believes that the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe recognises that UK science and innovation are an integral part of the European science and innovation ecosystem; considers it mutually beneficial that the UK be associated with the future 10th research framework programme (FP10) and that the scope of any such association should realise the objective of driving economic growth in the EU through innovation; believes it to be vital, therefore, that a fair balance be ultimately struck between the UK’s contributions and the benefits it would receive in return;

200. Reiterates, nonetheless, its concerns regarding the provisions in Protocol I concerning an automatic correction mechanism for the UK in relation to Horizon Europe, which were not agreed as part of the TCA itself; takes note of the fact that the UK correction mechanism applies until the end of the present multiannual financial framework (MFF) and is less favourable than the correction mechanism contained in the TCA;

201. Stresses, moreover, the difficulties posed by high visa fees and the healthcare surcharge for EU researchers who benefit from Horizon Europe and wish to exercise their right to mobility by moving to the UK, and urges the UK to address this problem;

202. Continues to be concerned over the 2023 amended association protocol to the TCA, particularly over the fact that the automatic rebate on the UK’s contribution to Horizon Europe in the event of ‘lower than expected’ UK participation in the programme has resulted in inconsistencies with the provisions of the TCA, to which Parliament gave its consent in December 2020; notes that this change to the TCA through the adoption of a protocol meant that Parliament was unable to provide meaningful consent for or effective scrutiny of what constitutes a core part of the overall agreement;

203. Emphasises that any international agreement on the association of the UK to EU programmes should fully respect the prerogative of Parliament to provide meaningful consent, in line with its resolution of 8 February 2024 on association agreements for the participation of third countries in Union programmes;

204. Calls for the full involvement of Parliament in any negotiations over UK participation in FP10, and also regarding the implementation of FP10 over the course of the next MFF; hopes that both parties can avoid the delays that have characterised UK participation in Horizon Europe and the Copernicus programme under the current MFF, in order to ensure continuity in funding for key EU research and innovation projects that involve UK partners;

205. Notes that the Choose Europe for Science initiative clearly positions both the European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) as vital programmes that can help the EU attract global scientific talent; observes that the UK can participate in both of these programmes and underlines the strong performance of the UK in both programmes; recalls the legal requirement laid down in Article 16(3) of the Horizon Regulation for the scope of the association of specific third countries to be subject to an analysis of the benefits for the Union and the objective of driving economic growth in the Union through innovation; considers that the scarcity of talent is a limiting factor on the EU’s economic growth, particularly in high-tech sectors; asks the Commission, therefore, for a detailed analysis of the benefits for the EU of the UK’s participation in the ERC and the MSCA, in particular considering how this impacts the ability of the EU to attract scientific talent, and to share that analysis with Parliament, preferably in parallel with negotiations over the legislative proposal for FP10;

206. Expresses concern that the UK has significantly increased the healthcare surcharge and visa costs for researchers going to the UK under Horizon Europe funding, making mobility more difficult financially for EU researchers and their UK partner institutions; supports the call to revert to the previous fee and surcharge levels, as expressed by the EU in the third Partnership Council meeting on 16 May 2024; would welcome a commitment to further lowering the administrative burden and related costs for EU researchers of undertaking mobility to the UK as part of Horizon Europe and its successor, FP10;

207. Notes that the UK ultimately decided against participating in the Euratom Research and Training Programme, the Fusion for Energy (F4E) joint undertaking or the ITER nuclear fusion project, although its participation had been envisaged in the EU-UK Joint Declaration on Participation in Union Programmes accompanying the TCA; expresses concern over Russia’s continued membership of the ITER project; calls for the preservation of the scientific legacy of the Joint European Torus, located in Culham in the UK, which, for decades, has served as the flagship of European nuclear fusion research; stresses that the ongoing dismantling of this unique facility risks the irreversible loss of scientific infrastructure and expertise;

208. Regrets the fact that the UK has chosen not to participate in other EU programmes and its decision not to participate in Euratom and F4E, as originally envisaged in the Joint Declaration of December 2020; considers that UK participation in the ITER project must be based on participation in F4E; deplores the decision to dismantle the Joint European Torus; urges the UK to reconsider its position on these matters;

209. Highlights the PEACEPLUS programme, a successor to earlier cross-border cooperation initiatives, and emphasises the programme’s vital role in promoting peace, reconciliation and socio-economic prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border region; notes that the programme is financed through substantial contributions from the EU and the UK;

210. Welcomes the statistical cooperation arrangement signed between Eurostat and the UK Statistics Authority, enabling the exchange of statistical data relevant to the UK’s participation in EU programmes; considers that reliable statistical information provides an important basis for decision-making in this field and for verifying that the financial provisions laid down in the TCA are being respected;

Education, culture, youth and sport

211. Notes the strong emphasis placed on strengthening people-to-people ties, particularly among the younger generation, at the recent EU-UK Summit;

212. Recalls that citizens’ rights are at the heart of the Withdrawal Agreement and that they must be fully protected; notes, however, that since Brexit it has become more complicated for EU citizens to travel and move to the UK; is extremely worried by changes to immigration policy currently under discussion in the UK insofar as they may affect the rights of EU citizens in the UK, including EU students and the tuition fees applied to them;

213. Underlines that youth mobility was severely impaired by Brexit; welcomes the proposal by the Commission to establish a youth mobility scheme and the shared commitment expressed in the Common Understanding to work towards a balanced and mutually beneficial youth experience scheme with a view to facilitating the participation of young people from the EU and the UK in various activities, such as work, studies, au-pairing, volunteering, or simply travelling, for a limited period of time; encourages both parties to proceed swiftly and ambitiously with its design and implementation, ensuring reciprocal access, legal clarity and appropriate social protection for participants, as a key step in restoring people-to-people ties and long-term cooperation; stresses the need to ensure, where relevant, decent wages and working conditions for participants of any future youth experience scheme; strongly encourages the UK to show openness towards the proposals presented by the Commission in this area in 2024; strongly believes that an agreement on the topic of youth mobility must be an essential part of any future revision of the TCA;

214. Considers that such a scheme holds significant potential to inspire a new generation of young people in the EU and the UK, by fostering lawful, people-to-people exchanges rooted in shared democratic values, cultural understanding and mutual trust, and that it could lay the foundation for long-term cooperation, social cohesion and stronger transnational networks among young people; further encourages both sides to consider facilitating mobility between the UK and the EU even beyond the proposed youth experience scheme;

217. Insists that this association must be consistent with the MFF and the TCA; recalls that any potential participation of the UK in EU programmes such as Erasmus+ should be assessed and designed in a manner that fully safeguards and promotes the interests of the EU, including ensuring clear added value for the EU and its citizens; calls on the Commission to provide timely and detailed information on the financial terms of future UK participation in Erasmus+ and on any financial implications of any future youth experience scheme;

218. Regrets that cultural exchanges are suffering as a result of Brexit; notes, with concern, the uncertainties and difficulties that have arisen for students, teachers, touring artists and cultural professionals willing to learn, teach, perform and work on both sides of the English Channel; welcomes the reference to the cultural and artistic exchanges and to touring artists in the conclusions of the EU-UK Summit; underlines the need for reciprocity in existing or future procedures and measures; encourages the Commission to assess the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from EU programmes on cultural and educational exchanges and to work on creative solutions;

219. Notes that collaboration with stakeholders in the EU and the UK will be vital to support cultural exchange and address barriers facing UK touring professionals; calls for a more concrete plan to tackle the issues that artists are facing; calls, in this regard, on the Commission to continue its efforts towards the re-association of the UK to the Creative Europe programme;

220. Notes with concern that school trips and youth mobility from the EU are hindered by the new UK entry rules; calls, therefore, for the creation of a youth group travel scheme for people under 18;

221. Is deeply worried by the decrease in the number of EU students studying in British universities; underlines the fact that this situation is clearly linked to the UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus+ programme and the end of equal treatment rules regarding tuition fees and scholarships for EU students; urges the UK and the EU to reach an agreement on lowering tuition fees in order to allow more young people from the EU to study in the UK;

222. Strongly believes that the UK and the EU must deepen their academic cooperation to tackle current geopolitical challenges and enhance their respective soft power; highlights, in this regard, the crucial role of the principle of international reciprocity enshrined in the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education in building stable and long-term partnerships between higher education institutions;

223. Notes the creation of the Turing Scheme by the UK Government, the Taith programme by the Welsh Government and the Scottish Education Exchange Programme’s Test and Learn project, which is currently in its pilot phase; regrets, however, that the Turing Scheme only covers outgoing student mobility and cannot therefore be seen as a full replacement for Erasmus+;

224. Notes that UK universities are allowed to be part of European university alliances but can no longer be included in their governance structure, which de facto relegates them to the status of second-class partners; encourages their continued partnership through the European Universities Alliances initiative, benefiting from the new form of a legal status allowing them to be a full partner;

225. Underlines the fact that the UK continues to participate in the European Higher Education Area (the Bologna process); urges the UK, the Commission and the Member States to continue their work towards full mutual recognition of academic qualifications, diplomas, degrees and exchange periods;

226. Notes that the EU and the UK continue to be vital markets for cultural exchange, sharing long-standing links and mutual influences between their cultural spheres; recognises the high economic value of the UK cultural sector; calls for new and continuous cooperation between EU and UK artists and other professionals in the cultural and creative sectors and industries, and for their labour rights to be safeguarded;

227. Notes that the Creative Europe programme was not replaced by any other programme dedicated to culture to support artists in the UK;

228. Regrets the absence of any provisions linked to culture and the cultural and creative sectors in the TCA following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and the end of UK participation in free movement, resulting in administrative obstacles facing touring artists, especially emerging and independent artists; notes that UK artists and cultural workers touring in the EU have to comply with multiple different visa, immigration and work permit systems; requests, therefore, that the Members State clarify the requirements regarding ATA (temporary admission) carnets; calls for the inclusion of the cultural sector in the forthcoming review of the TCA;

229. Calls for a solution to be found to the post-Brexit difficulties faced by artists and cultural workers, especially young and emerging ones, in relation to touring and participation in festivals, such as customs and VAT rules for merchandising and rules on international transport; asks the UK, the Member States and the Commission to work towards finding solutions that would foster easier ways for artists to operate across the Channel, addressing visas and work permits for short-term cultural stays and harmonised procedures for customs formalities;

230. Notes the need to ensure convergence of the future digital regulatory environment for audiovisual and media services in the UK and the EU to provide stable, predictable and clear requirements for the cultural and creative sector and the sports sector in the face of growing global challenges;

231. Notes that the TCA applies a cultural exception that excludes audiovisual services from its scope; emphasises the need for strategic cooperation in the audiovisual sector to ensure the visibility of productions made in Europe and their global competitiveness;

232. Encourages closer cooperation between the UK and the EU to facilitate the participation of athletes in sporting competitions and exchanges of sports staff;

233. Highlights the negative impact of the fragmented or non-existent recognition of mobility of students and staff, particularly in the fields of arts, culture and vocational education and training; stresses that this hinders efforts to address skills shortages across Europe; underlines that initiatives under the Union of Skills that address the skills gap, the green and digital transitions, vocational education and training, and lifelong learning could partially extend to partner countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme; highlights, in this regard, the added value of the UK’s reassociation to the Erasmus+ programme and urges the UK and the Commission to continue their dialogue with a view to establishing an effective framework for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications;

Law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters

234. Expresses its satisfaction at the fact that citizens’ safety remains pivotal under the renewed agenda for EU-UK cooperation; welcomes the boost to reinforced law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, strengthened cooperation in relation to drugs risks and threats, and deepened cooperation on challenges posed by irregular migration provided by the Joint Statement and the Common Understanding, adopted at the EU-UK Summit;

235. Welcomes the mutual commitment to uphold international law and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as expressed by the UK Prime Minister and the President of the Commission in their joint statement of 2 October 2024 on enhancing strategic cooperation and in the Joint Statement of the EU-UK Summit; recalls that the general conditions for the application of Part Three of the TCA, as stipulated under Article 524(1), are indeed the long-standing respect for democracy, the rule of law and the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, including those set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ECHR, as well as the importance of giving effect to the rights and freedoms secured in the ECHR domestically; reiterates that these conditions must be fully guaranteed in the application and implementation of the TCA;

236. Welcomes the commitments set out in the Joint Statement and Common Understanding to closer collaboration in the fight against human trafficking and people smuggling, drugs trafficking, serious and transnational organised crime as well as terrorism and violent extremism, including online, through quicker, better and deeper implementation of Part Three of the TCA and by fully exploiting and building on its potential;