London, Brussels agree on EU ambassador’s status post-Brexit: statement
London, Brussels agree EU ambassador status post-Brexit
The European Union's ambassador to the UK will have full diplomatic status, London and Brussels said Wednesday, after months of wrangling post-Brexit.
The announcement was made after Raab and Borrell met on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' summit in London, in preparation for a full leaders' meeting in June. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said the pair discussed future EU-UK cooperation on foreign and security policy, as well as joint work on climate change. But the agreement settles a monthslong dispute about whether EU ambassador Joao Vale de Almeida would be given full formal recognition, now that Britain has left the bloc.
Vale de Almeida took up his post as Brussels' first ambassador to London in 2020, after Britain's tortuous departure from the EU was ratified. But the Portuguese diplomat was denied formal recognition during a standstill transition period, as both sides thrashed out a free-trade agreement. Brussels had insisted he should be treated like a diplomat from a sovereign nation and not as an envoy from an international organization with lesser privileges. In January, Borrell said Britain's stance was "not a friendly signal" and risked hurting post-Brexit relations, amid anger in Brussels.
Britain perceived a tit-for-tat snub to its own envoy, when he saw his first high-level meeting with the European Council president delayed. Hopes were raised of a resolution to the stand-off, however, when the European Parliament approved the post-Brexit trade deal in April.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (L) and European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell pose for a photograph during the G7 foreign ministers meeting in London on Wednesday. Photo: VCG
"The EU ambassador will have a status consistent with heads of missions of states," Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a joint statement.The announcement was made after Raab and Borrell met on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' summit in London, in preparation for a full leaders' meeting in June. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said the pair discussed future EU-UK cooperation on foreign and security policy, as well as joint work on climate change. But the agreement settles a monthslong dispute about whether EU ambassador Joao Vale de Almeida would be given full formal recognition, now that Britain has left the bloc.
Vale de Almeida took up his post as Brussels' first ambassador to London in 2020, after Britain's tortuous departure from the EU was ratified. But the Portuguese diplomat was denied formal recognition during a standstill transition period, as both sides thrashed out a free-trade agreement. Brussels had insisted he should be treated like a diplomat from a sovereign nation and not as an envoy from an international organization with lesser privileges. In January, Borrell said Britain's stance was "not a friendly signal" and risked hurting post-Brexit relations, amid anger in Brussels.
Britain perceived a tit-for-tat snub to its own envoy, when he saw his first high-level meeting with the European Council president delayed. Hopes were raised of a resolution to the stand-off, however, when the European Parliament approved the post-Brexit trade deal in April.
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