EU’s Kaja Kallas Says She Wants Britain Back but Warns Brexit Has Left Deep Scars in Brussels

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says she would welcome Britain back into the European Union, but warned that the difficult legacy of Brexit would make any negotiations over a return far from straightforward. ⠀ “I would very much like to see Britain back in Europe,” Kallas said on Thursday, as European leaders gathered in Dublin. “But of course, we also have a lot of trauma in the European Union from Britain leaving. So the negotiations will not be that easy.” ⠀ Despite those difficulties, Kallas urged the two sides to rebuild ties gradually. “I think we can take little steps,” she said, adding that working together would make Britain and the EU “much stronger” economically and in security. ⠀ Her comments come ahead of a November 20 EU-UK summit in Brussels, where both sides are expected to discuss closer cooperation on defense, trade, energy and other shared priorities. Kallas had made a similar argument earlier this month, saying that Britain should first work more closely with existing European defense arrangements. ⠀ Britain left the EU in 2020. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government has opened a broader debate on the country’s future relationship with the bloc, but the government has not submitted an application to rejoin. Its current negotiating position also maintains limits on returning to the single market and customs union. ⠀ Kallas’s remarks expressed support for closer ties and a possible future return, rather than an announcement of membership negotiations.