Plaid Cymru leader meets EU ambassador to ‘strengthen Wales-Europe ties’ 

Emily Price

Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has today met with the European Union’s Ambassador to the UK to “strengthen Wales-Europe ties”.

The meeting followed the recent EU-UK summit, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU leaders agreed to ease some post-Brexit trade and travel frictions.

Mr ap Iorwerth said the deal did not go far enough and called on the UK Government to take further steps to rebuild the UK’s relationship with the EU by rejoining the Single Market and Customs Union.

Ties

He met with EU Ambassador Pedro Serrano at Europe House in London on Wednesday (May 28) to discuss strengthening Wales’s relationship with Europe and deepening cooperation in key areas.

The UK’s withdrawal from the EU was triggered by a referendum in 2016, where a majority of voters chose to leave.

Plaid Cymru says that since leaving the EU, Wales has suffered disproportionately.

Losses are estimated at £4 billion to the economy, a £1.1 billion reduction in exports, and the disappearance of £1 billion in former EU structural and rural funding.

Post-Brexit trade deals have also weakened the position of Welsh agriculture and manufacturing.

Plaid Cymru is pressing the UK Government to “do more than tinker at the edges” and instead “restore meaningful economic and political ties” with the EU.

The meeting also turned to foreign affairs issues, with Mr ap Iorwerth raising concerns over Israel’s actions in Gaza and reiterating his party’s support for Ukraine.

‘Constructive’

Speaking after the meeting, Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “I thank the Ambassador for a constructive meeting on the important relationship between Wales and the EU.

“Ahead of next year’s Senedd election, I wanted to make clear to our EU partners that with Plaid Cymru, there is a pro-European government in waiting in Wales that is serious and honest about the importance of improving our cooperation with our neighbours.

“The recent summit must be seen as a beginning, not an endpoint. Brexit has caused deep damage to Wales’s economy, and unless the structural barriers to trade and investment are removed, the UK Government’s growth ambitions will remain unrealised.

“Rejoining the Single Market and Customs Union is the most effective way to reverse this damage. This is about giving Welsh businesses, farmers and young people the opportunities they deserve.

“I reiterated Plaid Cymru’s proposal for a Welsh European Alignment Act – to reclaim powers we should never have lost and realign Welsh law with essential EU standards when in Wales’s best interest.

Gaza

The meeting also touched on a number of other foreign affairs issues, including Gaza and Ukraine.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “Plaid Cymru has consistently spoken out against Israel’s use of disproportionate force, and I welcome the EU’s decision to initiate a review of Israel’s compliance with its obligations under international law under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

“I voiced my horror at Israel’s crimes in Gaza. I also reiterated that any future Plaid Cymru-led government would be committed to European cooperation in support of Ukraine.

“Plaid Cymru offers a vision of hope – of a Wales that works with our neighbours, stands up for human rights, and gives our young people a future to believe in.”

The meeting came with a year to go to next Senedd election.

A recent poll on voting intention put Plaid Cymru in the lead with 30% of the vote – 12 points ahead of Labour on 18% and five points ahead of Reform UK on 25%.