(The Secretary of State
for Exiting the European Union)
Signing of the Withdrawal Agreement
On Friday 24 January, the Prime Minister signed the Agreement on
the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and
European Atomic Energy Community. The Presidents of the European
Commission and European Council signed the Agreement on behalf of
the European Union on the same date. The Withdrawal Agreement
must now be ratified by both parties by 31 January to bring the
Agreement into force from the point when the United Kingdom
leaves the European Union. Ratification by the EU will take place
after the European Parliament has given its consent to the
conclusion of the Agreement, which is expected to happen on 29
January.
Following ratification by both parties, the Agreement will enter
into force at 23:00 GMT on 31st January in the UK (00:00 on 1st
February in Brussels).
UK-EEA EFTA Separation Agreement
On Tuesday 28 January the UK, alongside representatives from the
EEA EFTA States (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) will also
sign the UK-EEA EFTA Separation Agreement. First published in
December 2018, this agreement protects the rights of our citizens
who have chosen to call each other’s countries home, as well as
resolving a small number of other issues arising from the UK’s
exit from the EU. The UK-EEA EFTA Separation Agreement broadly
mirrors the terms of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.
The UK-EEA EFTA Separation Agreement will be provisionally
applied by the UK from exit day. The UK-EEA EFTA Separation
Agreement will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny processes
under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, and will
enter into force in respect of the UK following ratification by
the UK and at least one other party.
UKRep
Following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, the
United Kingdom’s Representation to the European Union (UKRep) in
Brussels will become a third country Mission to the European
Union. Formally, the Mission will be titled the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Mission to the European
Union and the European Atomic Energy Community. In practice, the
Mission will be referred to as the United Kingdom’s Mission to
the European Union, shortened to UKMis Brussels.
This change will take effect from 1 February 2020.
