Brexit Brief 85

This issue of the IIEA’s fortnightly Brexit Brief notes the state of play in the future relationship negotiations and meetings of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement.  

In the wake of the postponement of the second and third round of negotiations on the future relationship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michel Barnier and David Frost spoke on the phone to arrange for negotiations on the future relationship to resume. Mr Frost indicated that the UK would not be seeking an extension to the transition period and both sides said the negotiations would proceed remotely. 

Both the EU and UK have published negotiation mandates, and the EU has published its proposed draft legal text of the final agreement. The UK has shared draft legal texts of a Free Trade Agreement and some sectoral agreements with the EU negotiators but has asked that this not be shared with Member States.  

Following a meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, Michael Gove gave evidence before the House of Commons Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union. In a subsequent letter to the Chair of the Committee, he outlined the UK Government’s position on a number of areas relating to the negotiations on the future relationship and the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. 

Brexit Brief 85, published by the IIEA’s UK Project Group, is published on a fortnightly basis and covers developments in the on-going debate over the UK’s vote to Leave the European Union.