Towards a New Normal? Exploring EU UK Energy and Climate Cooperation

Energy and climate are explicitly mentioned in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) which currently regulates the relationship between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK). During the EU-UK summit in May 2025, both parties agreed to strengthen cooperation in energy and climate by, amongst other things, exploring the UK participation in the EU’s electricity market, linking respective Emissions Trading Schemes and maximising cooperation on clean energy technologies. The academic debate on the new relationship between the EU and the UK is still in its infancy. This article proposes a SWOT analysis of UK EU cooperation in energy and climate looking at Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in this relationship. Methodologically, the article builds on content analysis of a wide range of primary documents and grey literature on cooperation in these policy areas since the entry into force of the TCA. Theoretically, the article intends to contribute to the literature on EU’s external relations, exploring how the relationship with a former member state can contribute to the conceptualisation of the EU as a global actor.