A fresh wave of papers outlining the UK’s negotiating strategy on
key issues related to Brexit and Britain’s future relationship
with the EU will be unveiled this week.
With the UK stepping up pressure on the European Commission to
move talks to the future partnership, two formal position papers
will be published on the continuity in the availability of goods
on the market, and confidentiality of documents.
The goods paper will see the UK will press the Commission to
widen the narrow scope it has placed on the availability of goods
on the market, via its own paper on this issue.
The UK is calling for services associated with goods to be
included in withdrawal discussions as well, believing that this
is the only way to protect consumers and businesses that trade
before Britain leaves the bloc.
Services are essential for production of goods, for their sale,
distribution and delivery, and for their operation and repair.
One example is that some engine manufacturers allow customers to
pay a fixed charge per hour of operation, with the company
looking after all maintenance and repairs. And with lifts,
manufacturers are responsible for their installation and
servicing.
In the EU, services inputs in products accounted for around 40
per cent of the added value in manufacturing exports in 2011,
demonstrating the importance of minimising uncertainty for
services as well as goods sectors.
Last year services made up 80% of the total UK Gross Value Added
(GVA), and 74% of the EU’s GVA — underlining how important it is
to discuss services early on in the negotiations.
The UK will also set out its position this week on ensuring that
official documents and information exchanged between the UK
government and the EU and other member states are protected.
In a busy week ahead, there will be further papers on; future
civil judicial cooperation; proposed mechanisms for enforcement
and dispute resolution once the European Court of Justice no
longer has direct jurisdiction in the UK; and data protection.
This latest cluster of papers come a week before the next formal
negotiating round, which will be led by Brexit Secretary
who said:
“This week we set out more detail of the future relationship we
want with the European Union, putting forward imaginative and
creative solutions to build a deep and special partnership with
our closest neighbours and allies.
“In the coming days we will demonstrate our thinking even
further, with five new papers - all part of our work to drive the
talks forward, and make sure we can show beyond doubt that we
have made sufficient progress on withdrawal issues by October so
that we can move on to discuss our future relationship.”
On the sequencing of talks, added:
“With the clock ticking, it wouldn’t be in either of our
interests to run aspects of the negotiations twice.”
Notes to editors:
More information on this week’s papers:
- Goods on the market: This paper emphasises that the UK is
seeking an agreement with the EU to secure the freest and most
frictionless trade possible in goods and services. It sets out
proposals designed to prevent a cliff-edge for businesses and
consumers by providing early certainty in a way that also
supports a move to this new deep and special partnership.
- Confidentiality: This paper makes clear that it will be
important to establish a framework for the continued respect of
obligations of confidentiality and the protection of information
exchanged while the UK was a Member State, and that this should
be reciprocal.
- Civil judicial cooperation: This paper explains that the UK
wants to secure an ambitious agreement on future civil judicial
cooperation with the EU, reassuring the domestic legal sector and
their clients. It also sets out the UK’s approach to this area in
the context of separation, with a view to the August negotiating
round.
- Enforcement and dispute resolution: This paper reinforces the
Government's message that, after withdrawal, the UK will take
back control of its laws and bring an end to the direct
jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
in the United Kingdom. It sets out possible approaches to the
enforcement of rights under UK-EU agreements by individuals and
businesses.
- Data: This paper explains the importance of data flows to the
UK and the EU, and sets out the UK’s aim to secure new
arrangements post withdrawal to ensure flows continue without
disruption.
