What internationals in the Netherlands need to know about the new EU-UK deal
By
Simone Jacobs
Olivia Logan
The new agreement between the EU and the UK means that Dutch residents will see some changes. From energy costs to travelling with pets, how will the new UK-EU agreement impact Brits and other international people living in the Netherlands?
United Kingdom and European Union announce new agreement
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that the UK and EU have amended their post-Brexit deal.
The announcement comes five years after the UK left the EU, with von der Leyen hailing it a “new chapter” and Starmer an opportunity to “move on from stale old debates and political fights to common sense”.
While an outline of the deal has been announced, further negotiations are expected to take months or even a year, and a date from which the new agreement will apply has not yet been set. The UK and the EU Commission agreed to proceed “swiftly”.
The changes are set to be fairly limited for both sides, with Starmer reiterating on Tuesday that the UK was "not rejoining the EU". Here’s what we know about the deal so far:
Defence: EU will fund UK rearmerment
Under the new deal, regular security talks will be held between the UK and EU, and the UK will have access to the EU’s newly developed 150-billion-euro rearmerment fund known as “Safe”.
According to a communique seen by The Guardian, “Safe” is designed to “help the EU and the UK boost support for Ukraine” and support “efforts on peace-building, crisis management, countering cyber-attacks and other hybrid attacks, including threats to subsea cables.”
Food and agriculture
Perhaps one of the biggest planned changes, both the EU and the UK will no longer be obliged to carry out sanitary and phytosanitary checks (SPS) on meat and cheese, animal products generally, timber, wool and leather imported from the UK or the EU.
The new policy will bring financial and bureaucratic relief for UK cheese and meat producers exporting to the EU, and EU producers exporting to the UK.
EU fishers will now have access to UK waters until 2038, and fish caught in UK waters will again be sold in supermarkets in the EU without having to go through veterinary checks.
Reduced energy bills
The agreement also has the possibility of reducing the cost of energy for EU residents, reports AD. With the potential for the UK to purchase nuclear energy from EU countries, namely France, other EU countries would be allowed to use British reserves in return.
Together, the EU and the UK will also invest in wind turbines in the North Sea. These plans mean that people living in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the bloc should experience price reductions for electricity.
UK citizens will be able to use e-gates
The UK and EU have agreed that UK citizens will soon be allowed to use e-gates at passport control in EU airports. The UK government assured that the change would end “dreaded queues at border control”.
However, this policy is unlikely to be implemented until 2026, since the EU is first required to adopt its new “European Union Entry/Exit System” and even then, individual EU countries will be able to decide if UK passport holders can use e-gates when they arrive at their borders.
No more passports for pets
SPS checks will also be lifted on travelling pets. Under the new agreement, “pets will also be able to travel more easily, with the introduction of “pet passports” for UK cats and dogs – eliminating the need for animal health certificates for every trip.”
Short-term business travel will be eased
The UK and the EU said that the new agreement will make it easier for UK and EU nationals on business to enter and stay short-term in the UK and across the bloc.
Easing these conditions will include reintroducing work sponsorship schemes and systems to recognise professional qualifications.
UK will rejoin Erasmus+
While the finer details are yet to be ironed out, the UK plans to rejoin the EU’s Erasmus+ education exchange programme.
“I'm so glad that we have agreed that we will have Erasmus+ for young people, and that we will work towards a youth experience scheme [...] this will allow the next generation to once again live and study in each other's countries, and this will build friendships that will last a lifetime,” von der Leyen said in her announcement.
Youth exchange schemes will be easier
The UK and EU will reintroduce new visa schemes for “youth experiences”. These visas will make it easier for UK and EU nationals to travel for work, studies, au pairing, volunteering or travelling for an extended but limited period.
It is yet unclear how long this “limited period” would be, but reports suggest it could be as long as one year.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more
Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more