We had a full house at Nieuwspoort for the launch of Stefaan De Rynck’s ‘Inside the Deal – How the EU Got Brexit Done’ yesterday. Stefaan handed the first copy of his book to Anita van den Ende, Director-General of European Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Netherlands. In his book, Stefaan De Rynck, who was a close aide to Michel Barnier during the Brexit negotiations, describes the EU’s side of the Brexit process until the end of 2020 and seeks to dispel some of the myths and spin that have become indelibly linked to the Brexit process.

A lively discussion with our panellists Caroline De Gruyter, Hugo Vijge, Rem Korteweg, and Matthew Holehouse followed the author's interview. The panellists discussed the past, present, and future of the changing UK-EU relationship. Rem Korteweg stated: “With the UK facing strong economic headwinds, Rishi Sunak has zero interest in a trade war with the EU.”. Matthew Holehouse added: “There is a thaw in the air, as Sunak opts for closer cooperation in a number of areas, such as asylum policy, military cooperation, and Northern Ireland.”.  

Many thanks to Tim de Wit for moderating this fantastic event!