Sittings · Document
OPINION (2024/2108(INI)) 2025-07-16
On the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy · Rapporteur: Borys Budka
AMENDMENTS
The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy submits the following to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on International Trade, as the committees responsible:
Amendment 1
Motion for a resolution
Recital R a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| Ra. whereas Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the Choose Europe for Science initiative on 5 May 2025 at the Sorbonne University in Paris, and proclaimed that ‘we want scientists, researchers, academics and highly skilled workers to choose Europe’; whereas the centrepiece of the initiative is the announcement of European Research Council (ERC) super grants and the doubling of top-up for researchers who relocate to Europe; |
Amendment 2
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 8a. Welcomes the new strategic partnership agreed between the EU and the UK at the 19 May 2025 EU-UK summit, which includes the commitment to explore the participation of the UK in the EU’s internal electricity market; stresses that, especially in the light of the changing geopolitical context and global trade uncertainty, areas of clear mutual interest include clean energy cooperation in the North Seas, linking the respective EU and UK emissions trading systems, improving electricity trading arrangements and closer coordination in infrastructure planning, thereby enhancing energy security and industrial competitiveness across Europe; calls for both parties to cooperate closely to ensure that a workable framework can be set out in a timely manner, so as to limit legal uncertainty; |
Amendment 3
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20a. Notes that the EU has adopted a comprehensive, risk-based regulatory framework through the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act1a, adopted in 2024, while the UK has so far taken a more light-touch regulatory approach, without introducing a horizontal AI law; calls for greater convergence of AI regulation between the EU and the UK in order to allow a dynamic sector to grow in a safe environment; regrets, in this regard, the fact that the UK did not sign the Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet at the international AI Action Summit in Paris on 11 February 2025; ______________ 1a Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act) (OJ L, 2024/1689, 12.7.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj). |
Amendment 4
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20b. Finds that there are risks associated with potential regulatory divergence between the EU and the UK in relation to digital policies; reiterates the importance of ensuring high-level data protection standards for the transfer and processing of personal data between the two parties and calls for regular information sharing between the EU and the UK; welcomes enhanced regulatory cooperation on digital issues, such as the administrative arrangement of 30 April 2024 between the Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology and the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom), which prioritises the exchange of information relating to the supervision of risk assessment and mitigation efforts by providers of large online platforms; |
Amendment 5
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20c. Calls on the UK to ensure that the proposed Data (Use and Access) Bill does not lead to lower data protection standards than those in the EU; recalls that the continued free flow of data between the EU and the UK hinges on data adequacy decisions by the Commission; notes that the Commission has proposed extending the current adequacy decision until December 2025, but that thereafter any new adequacy decision will depend on the approach taken by UK policymakers in their reforms to data protection standards; |
Amendment 6
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20d. Highlights the importance of maintaining similar approaches to market reforms in the digital sector; asks that the UK avoid policies that diverge from the fundamental principles of the EU Digital Markets Act1a and the EU Digital Services Act1b; | |
| _________________ | |
| 1a Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2022 on contestable and fair markets in the digital sector and amending Directives (EU) 2019/1937 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Digital Markets Act) (OJ L 265, 12.10.2022, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj). | |
| 1b Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act) (OJ L 277, 27.10.2022, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2065/oj). |
Amendment 7
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20e. Recalls the shared interest of the EU and the UK in digital connectivity; recommends that both parties establish a framework for information sharing coordination for the monitoring of threats to critical connectivity infrastructure, including subsea cables and satellites; |
Amendment 8
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 f (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20f. Repeats its calls to strengthen cooperation and joint actions in the field of cybersecurity, given its implications for both parties in a wide range of areas of mutual interest, especially in the digital and financial sectors, IT, defence, energy and research and development; welcomes the commitment by the UK and the EU, as part of the security and defence partnership agreed on 19 May 2025, to further develop their cooperation on cyber issues in the framework of the TCA, along with regular exchanges on the cyber threat landscape and the suitability of their respective policy frameworks; |
Amendment 9
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 g (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 20g. Reiterates the need for the EU and the UK to uphold their commitment laid down in the TCA to cooperate on promoting transparent and reasonable rates for international roaming services, in order to lower costs for EU and UK consumers; |
Amendment 10
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29a. Welcomes the fact that both parties maintain comparable ambitions with regard to energy efficiency and the promotion of renewable energy sources by 2030, with the ultimate shared goal of climate neutrality by 2050; congratulates the UK on its achievement of phasing out coal power generation on 1 October 2024, as the first G7 nation and advanced, industrialised country to achieve this goal; stresses the importance of the non-regression clause concerning environmental protection in the TCA, which neither party can diverge from without jeopardising the agreement as a whole; |
Amendment 11
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29b. Views favourably the willingness of both parties to contemplate greater regulatory and technological cooperation on clean technologies such as carbon capture and underground storage, and renewable energies including offshore wind, hydrogen, biomethane and sustainable biofuels; notes, however, that the UK’s decision to leave the EU single market poses inevitable challenges to the format of and limits the scope for bilateral cooperation in the energy field; calls on both parties to find new ways to improve the quality and depth of their bilateral cooperation on clean and renewable energy technologies; |
Amendment 12
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29c. Supports enhanced EU and UK cooperation on security of supply, which is particularly necessary in the context of volatile global energy markets and the continued Russian war of aggression against Ukraine; notes that both the EU and the UK are continuing to make progress towards their shared goal of ending all energy ties with Russia; welcomes the establishment of the new EU-UK Working Group on Security of Supply under the TCA, as recommended by the Partnership Council of 17 March 2024 and later implemented by the Specialised Committee on Energy; hopes that the new EU-UK Working Group on Security of Supply can meet regularly and develop concrete solutions and joint actions in this crucial area of bilateral cooperation; |
Amendment 13
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29d. Stresses the importance of coordinated planning and convergence in permitting procedures between the EU and the UK to ensure the development of renewables and in particular offshore wind, electricity infrastructure and CO2 storage, as well as hybrid energy projects in the North Seas; believes that both parties need to work closely together to transform the North Seas into a green energy hub that can also help to guarantee security of supply, inter alia through high levels of offshore wind energy production, in line with the non-binding EU goal of achieving around 360 GW of installed offshore generation capacity by 2050; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen regional cooperation on offshore grid planning and critical energy infrastructure development with the UK, as well as all sea basins with neighbouring countries, in order to enhance system robustness and reduce the likelihood of infrastructure disruption and energy supply failures; |
Amendment 14
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29e. Recalls that making full use of offshore energy resources will require very significant investment in grid and interconnection capacity; emphasises, furthermore, the need to develop a meshed offshore grid, including hybrid interconnectors and suitable cost-sharing mechanisms; considers that the development of electricity infrastructure to harness offshore wind energy potential is a shared priority for the EU and the UK; underlines that harnessing shared renewable resources can be mutually beneficial for the EU and the UK, and can lower the cost of the clean energy transition for both sides; |
Amendment 15
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 f (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29f. Welcomes the active participation of the UK in the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC), building on the Memorandum of Understanding it signed in December 2022; maintains that UK participation in NSEC should eventually lead to viable joint projects that are consistent with the common goal of developing the North Seas as Europe’s green power plant, as set out in the Ostend Declaration, which the UK signed on 24 April 2023; |
Amendment 16
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 g (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29g. Emphasises the importance of integration between EU and UK energy markets, which can improve security of supply, stimulate clean energy production, and lower energy costs for both parties; believes that high levels of physical interconnection capacity need to be complemented by more integrated wholesale energy markets that can facilitate energy security and trading between the EU and the UK; finds that, despite closer cooperation between regulators and transmission system operators, little progress has been made in terms of developing the new electricity trading arrangements envisaged under Article 312 TCA; recalls that the UK no longer avails of EU single market tools of market coupling for electricity trading, such as EU Single Day-Ahead Coupling, leading to inefficient trading over interconnectors that raises wholesale costs and ultimately feeds through to higher consumer bills, as well as hindering investment in multipurpose interconnectors; |
Amendment 17
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 h (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29h. Notes that the Specialised Committee on Energy adopted both a recommendation and a roadmap on electricity trading towards the end of 2024, inviting both the EU and the UK to step up the technical work necessary to implement new trading arrangements between the parties, including a concept validation phase for Multi-Region Loose Volume Coupling (MRLVC), the proposed trading model set out in Annex 29 to the TCA; |
Amendment 18
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 i (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29i. Welcomes the political agreement to extend EU-UK energy cooperation on a continuous basis alongside the clear commitment from the UK to eventually participate in the EU’s internal electricity market, including dynamic alignment and contributions to the costs associated with this policy area, as set out in the EU-UK Common Understanding, adopted on 19 May 2025; calls for immediate negotiations on market alignment and for their timely conclusion; |
Amendment 19
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 j (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29j. Acknowledges that the operation of different carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) in the EU and in the UK could lead to additional unwanted costs for future cross-border trade in renewable electricity, with negative impacts for industries and households, and particular risks for the integrity of the Single Electricity Market in the island of Ireland; believes that the most efficient and straightforward solution would be for the UK to link directly to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), as proposed in the Common Understanding agreed at the EU-UK summit on 19 May 2025; maintains that full ETS linkage should avoid unwanted costs and remove unnecessary policy barriers to cooperation, especially in the North Seas; calls, nevertheless, for interim measures, if necessary, to ensure that EU and UK CBAMs do not impose any additional burdens on cross-border electricity trade as of 2026, when negotiations on electricity market participation and ETS linkage might still be ongoing; |
Amendment 20
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 k (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29k. Notes the agreement between the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the UK, concluded on 21 December 2020 under the framework of the TCA, which covers cooperation on the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy and is underpinned by commitments from both sides to comply with international obligations; underlines the mutual benefits of civil nuclear cooperation between the EU and the UK in areas such as next-generation reactors, waste management, small modular reactors, safety and health standards, supply chain resilience, fusion technologies, including through research, medical applications, mobility of nuclear researchers and access to joint scientific infrastructure, where appropriate; |
Amendment 21
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 l (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 29l. Notes the reaffirmed joint international commitment to deliver the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, and to the Paris Agreement; reiterates the need for the EU and the UK to keep working together in international climate conferences, including the upcoming 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), to build on progress made and lead further global action for the promotion of renewable energy, energy efficiency and the abatement of methane emissions from the energy sector; |
Amendment 22
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 33a. Welcomes the association of the UK to Horizon Europe, as well as the Copernicus Programme, as of 2024; believes that this association 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; |
Amendment 23
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 33b. 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 or effective scrutiny over what constitutes a core part of the overall agreement; |
Amendment 24
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 33c. 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 programmes1a; _____________ 1a OJ C, C/2024/6341, 7.11.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6341/oj. |
Amendment 25
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 33d. Calls for the full involvement of Parliament in any negotiations over UK association to FP10, and also regarding the implementation of FP10 over the course of the next multiannual financial framework (MFF); hopes that both parties can avoid the delays that have characterised UK association to 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; |
Amendment 26
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 33e. Notes that the Choose Europe for Science initiative clearly positions both the ERC and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) as vital programmes that can help the EU attract global scientific talent; observes that the UK is associated to 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 Regulation1a 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 association to 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; ______________ 1a Regulation (EU) 2021/695 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination, and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1290/2013 and (EU) No 1291/2013 (OJ L 170, 12.5.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/695/oj). |
Amendment 27
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 f (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 33f. 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 lower the administrative burden and related costs for EU researchers undertaking mobility to the UK as part of Horizon Europe, as well as its successor, FP10; |
Amendment 28
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 g (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 33g. Takes note that the UK ultimately decided not to associate to the Euratom Research and Training Programme, the Fusion for Energy joint undertaking or the ITER project, which was 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, 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; |
Amendment 29
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 39. Urges the EU and the UK to swiftly establish a Security and Defence Partnership through a joint declaration setting out concrete commitments and launching a structured dialogue to address shared security challenges in Europe, using the maximum potential of enhanced cooperation in this field; | 39. Urges the EU and the UK to swiftly establish a Security and Defence Partnership through a joint declaration setting out concrete commitments and launching a structured dialogue to address shared security challenges in Europe, using the maximum potential of enhanced cooperation in this field; considers that the EU and the UK share the same challenging security environment and calls for strengthening cooperation and joint actions in the field of cyber security, cooperating on space, and strengthening the resilience of critical infrastructure; |
Amendment 30
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 40a. Welcomes the prospect of closer industrial cooperation between the EU and the UK, while maintaining a strong level playing field that avoids unilateral distortions; highlights, in this regard, the importance of ensuring, from an early stage, frequent dialogue on supply chain initiatives in the EU and the UK; |
Amendment 31
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 b (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 40b. Recalls that industrial cooperation is significantly limited by the UK’s ‘red lines’ against re-joining the EU single market or customs union; |
Amendment 32
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 c (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 40c. Regrets that the UK leaving the EU has had a particularly disruptive impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); stresses the need to reduce barriers to trade, especially for SMEs, in line with the recommendation of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly on 17 March 2025; |
Amendment 33
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 d (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 40d. Urges the EU and the UK to deepen defence industrial cooperation with a view to facilitating interoperability and promoting the joint effectiveness of their armed forces in an increasingly contested environment; invites both parties to continue exploring opportunities for greater collaboration in defence research, development and innovation, including potentially through EU programmes and initiatives; encourages the EU and the UK to explore the possibility of UK collaboration and potentially closer participation in certain projects funded by the European Defence Fund; |
Amendment 34
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 e (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 40e. Notes with regret the adverse effects that the withdrawal of the UK from the EU has had on the operating conditions for defence industrial actors, including supply chain challenges, skills shortages and staff visa issues, as well as border controls for components; urges both parties, in light of the need to urgently strengthen the EU and UK defence technological and industrial bases, to find mutually beneficial solutions to enable their defence industries to respond to the profoundly changed European security landscape; welcomes, therefore, the conclusion of the Security and Defence Partnership on 19 May 2025, representing a framework for dialogue and cooperation on security and defence, including regular exchanges on defence industry; |
ANNEX: ENTITIES OR PERSONS FROM WHOM THE RAPPORTEUR HAS RECEIVED INPUT
The rapporteur for opinion declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his opinion input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.
INFORMATION ON ADOPTION BY THE COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION
| Date adopted | 16.7.2025 | |
| Result of final vote | +: –: 0: | 62 11 7 |
| Members present for the final vote | Oihane Agirregoitia Martínez, Barry Andrews, Wouter Beke, Tom Berendsen, Michael Bloss, Barbara Bonte, Paolo Borchia, João Cotrim De Figueiredo, Raúl de la Hoz Quintano, Elena Donazzan, Matthias Ecke, Christian Ehler, Sofie Eriksson, Jan Farský, Niels Fuglsang, Jens Geier, Bruno Gonçalves, Nicolás González Casares, Giorgio Gori, Bart Groothuis, Christophe Grudler, András Gyürk, Niels Flemming Hansen, Eero Heinäluoma, Ivars Ijabs, Diana Iovanovici Şoşoacă, Seán Kelly, Rudi Kennes, Sarah Knafo, Michał Kobosko, Ondřej Krutílek, Eszter Lakos, Morten Løkkegaard, Yannis Maniatis, Sara Matthieu, Marina Mesure, Letizia Moratti, Jana Nagyová, Angelika Niebler, Ville Niinistö, Aleksandar Nikolic, Mirosława Nykiel, Daniel Obajtek, Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, Tsvetelina Penkova, Virgil-Daniel Popescu, Jüri Ratas, Julie Rechagneux, Aura Salla, Elena Sancho Murillo, Paulius Saudargas, Benedetta Scuderi, Diego Solier, Marcin Sypniewski, Dario Tamburrano, Bruno Tobback, Matej Tonin, Mariateresa Vivaldini, Elena Yoncheva, Anna Zalewska | |
| Substitutes present for the final vote | René Aust, Christophe Bay, Alessandro Ciriani, Per Clausen, Annalisa Corrado, Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, Michalis Hadjipantela, Martin Hojsík, Michael McNamara, Dario Nardella, Gaetano Pedulla’, Oliver Schenk, Susana Solís Pérez, Raffaele Stancanelli, Francesco Torselli, Dimitris Tsiodras | |
| Members under Rule 216(7) present for the final vote | Pär Holmgren, Tomáš Kubín, Ilia Lazarov, Marcos Ros Sempere |