Lords inquiry into UK-EU reset holds its first session

The inquiry, which is scrutinising the Government’s reset of UK-EU relations, will hear from:

• Wolfgang Münchau, Director, Eurointelligence
• Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director, Europe, Eurasia Group
• Armida van Rij, Senior Research Fellow and Head, Europe Programme, Chatham House

The session, in Committee Room 4, at 4pm, in the Houses of Parliament, can be watched live or later on Parliament TV.

The House of Lords European Affairs Committee has issued a call for evidence for its new inquiry which comes after the Government announced it was seeking a reset of the UK’s relations with the European Union, including in the areas of security and defence co-operation, in order to “address common threats and challenges”; and trade, in order to “break down barriers”.

Topics likely to be discussed at the Committee meeting on Tuesday include:

• How the change of US Administration might affect the UK-EU reset
• What the reset of UK-EU relations might achieve
• Whether the UK and EU reaches any agreement on the question of youth mobility
• Whether the Government should negotiate new forms of cooperation in some areas
• How ambitious a UK-EU defence and security agreement might be

The Committee has also invited interested individuals and organisations to submit written evidence to the inquiry by 7 March 2025, and aims to report to the House later in the year.

Lord Ricketts, Chair of the Lords European Affairs Committee, said:

“The Government has made clear that the reset will be at the centre of its efforts to improve UK-EU relations. Our inquiry will scrutinise the Government’s proposals, and consider what a reset should aim to deliver in practice for the UK. The Committee looks forward to examining this complex issue in detail - with a view to publishing a report later this year.”