EU pushing for speedy deal with UK after new PM

The European Union is pushing to finalize a Brexit reset deal with the UK quickly after Prime Minister Keir Starmer's successor takes office, aiming to sign off on agreements covering phytosanitary rules, emissions trading, and youth mobility within weeks.

BRUSSELS — The European Union hopes the change of leadership in the U.K. won’t slow down a deal on the long-discussed Brexit reset. The Commission — the bloc’s executive arm — is planning on finalizing long-running negotiations on agricultural and trade issues in the days and weeks after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s eventual successor takes over, four European diplomats and officials working on the issues told POLITICO, granted anonymity to speak frankly. Among the items Brussels intends to sign off is an agreement on phytosanitary rules governing the import and export of food products; alignment on emissions trading systems to avoid business paying hefty carbon taxes; and a reciprocal youth mobility scheme to enable young people to live, travel, study or work for limited periods. Those three areas were expected to be agreed by the time the two sides met before the summer holidays.