Antonio Tajani – Photo © European Union 2017 – source EP
(BRUSSELS) – While the benefits of being an EU member cannot be the same for a country which leaves, MEPs said Wednesday that an association could be the way forward, so long as the UK respected EU standards.
Such an agreement on the future relationship between the EU and the UK would require continued respect by the UK of EU standards in the fields of the environment, climate change, fighting tax evasion and avoidance, fair competition, trade and social policy.
In the resolution, drawn up by leaders of four Euro-Parliament political groups and the Constitutional Affairs Committee, MEPs set out the conditions for final approval by the European Parliament of any withdrawal agreement with the United Kingdom.
The draft motion, to be debated and voted on by the full house next Wednesday, attaches great importance to fair treatment of EU-27 citizens and stresses the need for reciprocity and non-discrimination between UK citizens living in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK.
MEPs were clear that the UK must continue to both enjoy all its rights and respect all its obligations under the EU Treaty until it leaves. This includes financial commitments under the current EU long-term budget, even if those go beyond the withdrawal date.
This also means that the UK must continue to accept the four freedoms, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, general budgetary contributions and adherence to the EU’s common trade policy until it leaves. MEPs also insisted on the importance of addressing the issue of the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“An orderly exit is an absolute requirement and a precondition for any potential future EU-UK partnership. This is not negotiable,” said the European Parliament’s president Antonio Tajani: “The privilege of Union membership comes with responsibilities and these responsibilities mean guaranteeing the four freedoms. The four freedoms are the glue that binds it together and are indivisible,” he added.
The groups and the Constitutional Affairs Committee noted that it would be against EU law for the UK to begin negotiations on possible trade agreements with third countries before it has left the EU. They also expected ‘sincere cooperation’ from the UK in negotiations on EU legislation in other policy areas until it leaves. Bilateral agreements between the UK and one or more remaining EU countries, for instance in respect of UK-based financial institutions, would be in breach of the EU Treaties, they warn.
“For us, it is an absolute priority to settle citizens’ rights as soon as possible. It needs to be the first issue to be tackled in the negotiations. Citizens should not become bargaining chips”, stressed the EP’s coordinator on Brexit for the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt.
MEPs did agree that talks can start on possible transitional arrangements based on plans for the future relationship between the EU and the UK, but “only “if and when good progress has been made towards the withdrawal agreement.”
But a future relationship agreement can only be concluded once the UK has actually left the EU, and a transitional arrangement may not last longer than three years.
