Category: Negotiation Positions UK

Guidance Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee Published 30 March 2020 Contents 1.What is the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee? 2.Who chairs the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee? 3.How does the Joint Committee operate? How often will it meet? 4.Who chairs the Specialised Committees? How often will they meet? What do they do? 1. What is the Withdrawal Agreement Joint […]

Part 1: The Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) 1. The Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (henceforth: the Agreement) should be structured as follows and cover broadly the following ground. Chapter 1: General Definitions and Initial Provisions 2. The Agreement should set out the terms used in the CFTA and should explain the relationships with the World […]

Cross-Border Trade in Services 34. The Agreement should promote trade in services and investment by providing service suppliers and investors with certainty and transparency about their future operating environment. The Agreement should enhance cooperation between the parties and competent authorities, and facilitate trade through provisions on issues such as the recognition of professional qualifications. 35. […]

The UK’s Approach to Negotiations Introduction 1. On 31 January 2020 the United Kingdom left the European Union and the Withdrawal Agreement concluded with the EU entered into force. 2. On 31 December 2020, at the end of the transition period provided for in that agreement, the UK will fully recover its economic and political […]

Other Agreements 1. The CFTA should be supplemented by a range of other international agreements covering, principally, fisheries, law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, transport, and energy, as set out below. Agreement on Fisheries 2. The UK is ready to consider an agreement on fisheries that reflects the fact that the UK will […]

Subsidies 64. The UK will have its own regime of subsidy control. The Agreement should include reciprocal commitments to transparency about the award of subsidies which go beyond the notification requirements set out in the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. This should include an obligation on both parties to notify the other every […]

Agreement on Law Enforcement and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters 27. The safety and security of our citizens is the Government’s top priority. The UK already has world leading law enforcement capabilities. At the end of the transition period, we will fully recover our sovereign control over our borders and immigration system, which will further […]

“We bring to the negotiations not some clever tactical positioning but the fundamentals of what it means to be an independent country. It is central to our vision that we must have the ability to set laws that suit us – to claim the right that every other non-EU country in the world has.” Thank […]

Summary A consultation to inform our own Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule, the UK Global Tariff. This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 5 March 2020 Consultation description The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020. The Department for International Trade is preparing the UK’s first independent tariff policy in almost fifty years. This Most […]

Written statement to Parliament The Future Relationship between the UK and the EU This statement sets out the Government’s proposed approach to the negotiations with the EU about our future relationship. Further details on this and other trade negotiations will be made available to Parliament as the process develops. Delivered on: 3 February 2020 The […]

Economic partnership Following the decision of the people of the UK in the referendum, the UK is leaving the EU, and as a result will leave the Single Market and the Customs Union – seizing new opportunities and forging a new role in the world. At the same time, the UK wants to protect jobs […]

Free Trade Area Regulatory frameworks draw a distinction between goods, which are physical products that tangibly cross a border, and services. The UK proposes the establishment of a free trade area for goods, including agri-food. This would avoid friction at the border, protect jobs and livelihoods, and ensure that the UK and the EU meet […]

Open and fair competition The UK has been a leading advocate of the development of the EU state aid and competition regime and has much to gain from maintaining disciplines on subsidies  and anti-competitive practices. Some horizontal rules are not primarily designed to ensure open and fair markets. Nonetheless, it is usual to include commitments […]

Summary A relationship as deep as the one that the UK envisages will require a broad range of cooperation between the UK and the EU in the future. In order to ensure that this  cooperation can function properly, that the relationship is transparent and accountable and that the trust established through the commitments made by […]

Resolving disputes The institutional framework should prevent disputes arising but in the unlikely event that they did, it should be designed in a way that facilitates dialogue. But where international agreements include binding commitments on the parties, it is important that they include provisions to ensure that formal disputes over these commitments can be resolved […]

Administrative provisions To ensure the future relationship is administered effectively, the UK and the EU will need to agree arrangements for regulatory cooperation. This includes: an upfront choice to maintain a common rulebook with the EU, in particular, in relation to the free trade area for goods; and a recognition that some rules are equivalent. […]

Cooperation There are a number of areas where cooperation supports or complements our proposals for the economic or security partnerships. . For each of these areas, the UK and the EU should agree specific arrangements that support ongoing cooperation. These include: data protection arrangements that provide for the continued exchange and protection of personal data […]

Security Partnership The UK has already set out an ambitious vision for the UK’s future security relationship with the EU.The UK recognises that leaving the EU means the security relationship between the UK and the EU cannot continue on the same basis as before. Nevertheless, given shared interests and threats, the UK seeks an ambitious […]

Civil judicial cooperation Civil judicial cooperation is mutually beneficial to both the UK and the EU. Businesses benefit from legal certainty in the event of disputes and are more confident trading across borders. Consumers and employees benefit from protections for weaker parties. Cross-border families benefit from clear rules to resolve disputes in sensitive matters quickly […]

Statement by Michel Barnier at the press conference following his meeting with Dominic Raab, UK Secretary of State for Exiting the EU Brussels, 26 July 2018 Ladies and gentlemen, Dominic and I just had a second constructive meeting. I agree with what Dominic said last week – we must bring new energy into these negotiations. And […]