Ambassador Vale de Almeida: We must approach EU-UK relations with a new mindset

In his conversation with the Director of the CER Charles Grant, Ambassador Vale de Almeida said:

“The Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement will allow both sides to move on and start a new relationship after four years of complex negotiations. It is time to move beyond Brexit and to project ourselves into the future. The EU and the UK now lead separate lives and need to cooperate on that basis in a positive, constructive and forward-looking way”.

The event was attended by the former European Commissioners Julian King and Jonathan Hill, and by the former Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCDO Simon McDonald.

According to Ambassador Vale de Almeida it is time to approach EU-UK relations with a new mindset. He added:

“This is no longer about winning a debate or having the last word in a discussion. We need to build a mature relationship based on our shared interests and values, and increase mutual levels of trust.

“There is life after Brexit. It will be different to life before Brexit but it is in the interests of all to create a virtuous cycle as opposed to a vicious cycle. There is a lot of good we can do together and this is my priority”.