Downing Street said on 20 July 2026 that the Prime Minister spoke with António Costa, President of the European Council. In the official readout, the Prime Minister used the call to underline the value of a closer UK-EU relationship. The statement linked that position to the aim of building a stronger Europe. The wording is brief, but it sets a clear strategic frame for the conversation.
According to Downing Street, the discussion covered defence, security and growth across the UK and Europe. Those are the only policy areas named in the readout, and they provide the clearest indication of where ministers want UK-EU contact to be concentrated. The inclusion of growth alongside defence and security is notable. In the Government’s own wording, the relationship is being presented as both a strategic and an economic matter.
The most concrete outcome from the call was procedural. Both sides agreed that their teams would work closely towards a UK-EU summit later in 2026, according to the statement. No date, venue or detailed agenda was published at this stage. Even so, agreement on summit preparation signals that official contact is expected to continue in the months ahead.
The brevity of the readout also matters. Downing Street did not announce a new agreement, legal text, funding package or joint declaration on 20 July 2026. The immediate result was a shared instruction to officials and a commitment to further leader-level contact. For policy readers, that makes this a holding statement rather than a final package. Direction has been set out, but delivery detail has not.
That distinction matters for departments, businesses and parliamentary observers. Until a fuller agenda is published, the three headings named by Downing Street - defence, security and growth - are the main guide to what officials are expected to prepare. Any later readouts from London or Brussels will therefore be watched for evidence of how those headings are being translated into formal workstreams, meetings or draft summit outcomes.
For now, the Government’s position is narrow but clear. It wants a closer UK-EU relationship, it has agreed with President Costa that both teams should work towards a summit later in 2026, and both leaders expect to speak again soon. In administrative terms, the call marks the start of a preparatory phase rather than the end of a negotiation. The next substantive test will come when either side sets out what the summit is intended to deliver.