Authors: Michael Nicholson and Ben Reynolds

The UK was a founding member of the European Environment Agency (EEA) in 1993, but left the organisation in 2021 following Brexit. Despite membership of the EEA not being predicated on EU membership – and more than 25 years of intense cooperation – there is now little active and/or formal cooperation between technical environmental experts in the UK and their counterparts in the EEA and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet).

This briefing is part of a series that is exploring the merits of the UK re-engaging with, or ultimately re-joining the EEA and Eionet. Our first paper on this topic, published in 2024, outlined the benefits of re-engagement with these bodies. Building on this earlier paper, this briefing looks at the varying options for moving from the current ‘standing still’ position to a more active and participatory stance. In particular, it analyses the forms of cooperation, costs involved and time taken by countries to negotiate an agreement with the EEA. Furthermore, this report examines the paths to EEA membership of Switzerland and Turkey as relevant case studies from which the UK may draw lessons.

You can download the full report below.

Photo by Łukasz Czechowicz on Unsplash