Joint Statement on Bilateral Cooperation between the United Kingdom and Belgium

The United Kingdom and Belgium are close neighbours, like-minded partners and Allies committed to working together to promote our common interests.  Today, we deepen our bilateral cooperation and friendship, within the framework of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and the Renewed Agenda for European Union – United Kingdom Cooperation (‘the Renewed Agenda' agreed 19 May 2025). We look forward to an ongoing dialogue. We recognise each other's institutional differences and encourage exchanges with and between the different substate entities each within their own competences.*

Security and defence cooperation - As committed NATO Allies, we are determined to invest in our collective defence and to strengthen European security. We will remain steadfast in our support to Ukraine for as long as it takes and will work with partners as committed members of the Coalition of the Willing. We will continue existing cooperation, including joint military exercises and exchange programmes and will undertake regular consultations with regard to international security challenges and new disruptive threats. In order to prevent operations from malign actors in the North Sea, we will build upon the NorthSeal Platform and enhance our collaboration in safeguarding strategic infrastructure, including with the JEF+ mechanism and through bilateral, regional or multilateral defence industrial partnerships. We will look to cooperate on emerging hybrid threats such as cyber and electronic warfare, through both bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

Safety of our citizens and combatting organised crime - We will enhance our joint efforts to combat terrorism, violent extremism and international crime, including human trafficking, drug trafficking and illicit finance. We will build on the provisions agreed in our Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement (LECA) and we look forward to signing this in 2026. Our Law Enforcement Agencies will work closely within EUROPOL, INTERPOL and Prüm contexts and explore opportunities to further enhance data sharing. We will enhance our cooperation between law enforcement, security and customs services to dismantle international criminal organisations. We will continue to reinforce the security of our logistic hubs, particularly our ports. As fellow International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council members, we will work together closely to deliver shared priorities across the IMO on areas such as safety, security and decarbonisation. Belgium and the UK will enhance our cooperation on crisis preparedness and resilience. We also reaffirm our commitment to continued and enhanced judicial cooperation, with a view to facilitating the effective investigation and prosecution of serious and organised crime.

The fight against irregular migration - We will strengthen our efforts to prevent irregular migration through greater collaboration on innovative solutions, including on strategies and approaches on returns and readmissions, mutual information exchange, effective security technology and operational enhancements, notably at Zeebrugge Port. We will increase our operational and strategic dialogue on migration cooperation, on a bilateral, regional (Calais Group) and multilateral level, in close cooperation with EU Member States and countries of origin and transit, in order to address the root causes of irregular migration. We will enhance our cooperation between law enforcement services in order to disrupt and dismantle the international criminal organisations that move people and small boats equipment into and through Europe. We will expand our joint efforts to disrupt criminal networks operating upstream, including through communications campaigns in source countries and joint investigations where appropriate. The UK and Belgium are committed to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, we must also ensure that our legal frameworks allow us to face the contemporary challenges so that they protect against exploitation, deter those trying to undermine our systems, and remain guided by the public interest. We will work with like-minded countries to ensure that our governments are fully equipped to tackle the challenges we face.

Growth - We will work together to enhance and facilitate our bilateral trade and reduce frictions, within the framework of the TCA and the Renewed Agenda. Our shared prosperity is built upon developing a competitive and innovative industrial base, by fostering collaboration in sectors such as defence, life sciences, biopharma, energy, technology and agrifood. We recognise the importance of temporary mobility, including for business and research activities, and look forward to working together to enhance our approaches and reduce barriers. Recognising our ports as global gateways, we aim to enhance their cooperation even further, including through exploring autonomous shipping. We will also increase our dialogue on economic security, which could include foreign direct investment screening in strategic and critical sectors, the management and diversification of supply chains as well as the protection of critical infrastructure. Belgium and the UK will continue to cooperate on fiscal and tax matters, including through the exchange of information, while fully respecting the autonomy of our central banks. We commit to strengthening the cooperation between our customs services in order to simplify procedures and to provide targeted information to stakeholders, including SME's.

Research, innovation and health security - We will continue to build connections across our science and technology sectors, with a focus on pharmaceuticals, life sciences, AI, semi-conductors and engineering biology. We recognise the key role of higher education and universities in supporting these links and will support our research communities and higher education institutions to foster excellence, openness, academic freedom, research integrity and innovation. We look forward to deepening exchanges through research programmes such as Horizon Europe and bilateral initiatives.  We will cooperate on enhancing resilience of medical supply chains, including cooperation on critical medicines shortages, building on the UK's current membership of the EU Critical Medicines Alliance. We will continue our cooperation on pandemic resilience and vaccines, supporting the leadership role of the WHO. We will foster closer collaboration in medical research and innovation – including on clinical trials, medical devices, digital health technologies and AI - to support more effective, accessible and sustainable healthcare system for all.

Energy security - We will update our Memorandum of Understanding (February 2022) on energy cooperation. We will continue to cooperate to ensure the smooth functioning of our existing interconnectors and will continue discussion on Nautilus, a new electricity interconnector between Belgium and the UK, while fully respecting each other's legislation and the role of regulators. We will continue yearly exchanges on the security of supply between all relevant parties and will hold biennial bilateral energy dialogues. We look forward to increasing our cooperation with like-minded partners in the framework of the North Sea Summit to protect our energy security and path to net-zero. We will explore the potential for cooperation regarding the development and deployment of low carbon hydrogen. We aim to conclude in the first half of 2026 a bilateral arrangement under the London Protocol on cross-border transportation of CO2 for the purpose of permanent geological storage. We aim to establish green shipping corridors between our shores to contribute to the decarbonisation of international shipping.  We will explore avenues for cooperation and exchanges on Nuclear energy, recognising that both our countries face common challenges in securing reliable, competitive and low-carbon energy supplies.

*For the Kingdom of Belgium, this statement is supported by and implies the involvement of the federal government, the Government of Flanders, the Walloon Government, the Government of the Brussels Capital Region, the Government of the French Community and the Government of the German Community. The provisions in this joint statement do not affect the division of competences.