The UK, France and the Challenge of Brexit to European Security

In this policy-brief ELN Research Fellow Joseph Dobbs outlines the role of the UK and France in protecting European security following the UK's vote in June 2016 to leave the European Union.

The bilateral relationship between London and Paris, argues Dobbs, is the most important of a series of European relationships that the UK must now tend to outside of the EU. But bilateral defence and security links cannot be insulated from the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Both the UK and France must play their crucial roles in making sure that the UK is as aligned as possible to the EU in terms of foreign, defence and security policy.

To that end, Joseph Dobbs makes seven recommendations for ensuring that Brexit does not weaken the bilateral relationship:

1. The UK and France should start talking about UK-EU foreign, defence and security policy cooperation;
2. The UK should commit clearly to not using European security as a bargaining chip;
3. The UK should commit to supporting EU foreign, defence and security policy cooperation where appropriate;
4. France should propose an EU+1 model for UK-EU foreign policy coordination, and the UK should embrace it;
5. The UK should propose associate membership of the EU's Security Union, and France should support this;
6. The UK and France should work closely to reinforce their shared international agenda;
7. The UK and France should further enhance bilateral defence cooperation.

National Institute Economic Review No.238, November 2016: The UK and EU foreign, security and defence policy after Brexit: integrated, associated or detached http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-uk-and-eu-foreign-security-and-defence-policy-after-brexit-integrated-associated-or-detached/

United Kingdom: House of Lords: Library: Library Note LLN 2016/51 (13.10.16): Leaving the European Union: Foreign and Security Policy Cooperation http://www.europeansources.info/record/leaving-the-european-union-foreign-and-security-policy-cooperation/

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