EU and the UK
date: 02/02/2018
European Commission receives mandate to begin negotiations with the United Kingdom on transitional arrangements
The European Commission welcomed the General Affairs Council's (Article 50) decision to allow negotiations to begin on possible transitional arrangements following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. These negotiating directives – which supplement the negotiating directives from May 2017 and were based on the Commission's Recommendation of 20 December 2017 – set out additional details on possible transitional arrangements. Elements include: the United Kingdom will continue to participate in the customs union and the single market (with all four freedoms); the Union acquis will continue to apply in full to and in the United Kingdom as if it were a member state; all existing EU regulatory, budgetary, supervisory, judiciary and enforcement instruments and structures will apply, including the competence of the European Court of Justice; the UK will be a third country as of 30 March 2019 and therefore will no longer be represented in Union institutions, agencies, bodies and offices; the transition period needs to be time limited and should not last beyond 31 December 2020.
Michel Barnier's statement
Air quality ministerial summit: member states have until end of next week to complete their national submissions
Ministers from nine member states – including the UK – met with the EU Environment Commissioner on 30 January in Brussels in an effort to find solutions to address the problem of air pollution in the European Union. The nine member states (the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia and the UK), all face infringement procedures for exceeding agreed air pollution limits. Commissioner Vella called on member states to finalise their submissions by the end of next week on how they intend to comply with EU law on air quality or else face legal action. Following the meeting, Commissioner Vella said: "This Commission has consistently said that it wishes to be 'big on the big things'. And it doesn't get bigger than the loss of life due to air pollution […] As much as protecting our citizens is a key priority for President Juncker and the entire College of Commissioners, in member states this needs to become a key priority of entire governments, of all ministers concerned: be it ministers for transport, energy, industry, agriculture or finance. Our shared credibility depends on it."
Brexit and Security
EU Security Union Commissioner Julian King gave a speech on EU-UK security relations at Stirling University on 1 February. He discussed the benefits of continued UK-EU cooperation against terrorism and cybersecurity, and some of the issues that will need to be worked through in developing a future UK-EU relationship. Mr King said: "Both sides –the UK and the EU 27 - need now to engage: to set out their positions, the level of ambition, how they want to resolve outstanding issues and to frame the future security relationship. The Brexit timetable is irrelevant to those who wish us harm. Avoiding a "security gap" is in our mutual shared interest."
Mancunian teenager wins EU translation award
Daniel Farley from The Manchester Grammar School has won the British leg of the European Commission’s annual translation competition for six-formers, Juvenes Translatores. He translated a text about the 60 years of the European Union from Spanish into English. He competed against 333 UK students from 73 UK schools. Across the EU, 3,348 students took part in the competition leading to 28 national winners.
Traditional Welsh Caerphilly cheese gains EU protected status
On 30 January, traditional Welsh Caerphilly cheese joined a list of over 1,400 protected products across the EU and beyond. The European Commission has approved the cheese registration for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This provides producers with legal protection against imitation or misuse of the product name. In Wales Carmarthen Ham, Pembrokeshire Early Potatoes, Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef are among the products already benefiting from PGI status
UK Erasmus+ participants say it boosts their employability
More than two-thirds of UK participants in Erasmus+ - the EU's programme for education, training, youth and sport (2014-2020) – think it has boosted their employability. The programme's mid-term evaluation also shows that around half of the British undergraduates who go on an exchange programme abroad do so thanks to opportunities created by Erasmus+.
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