The Conference of Presidents has endorsed a motion for a
resolution drawn up by the leaders of four political groups and
the Constitutional Affairs Committee, in which they set out their
conditions for a final approval by the European Parliament of any
withdrawal agreement with the United Kingdom. The draft
resolution will be debated and voted on by the full house next
Wednesday.
The motion 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.
Continued obligations
The UK must continue to both enjoy all its rights and respect all
its obligations under the EU Treaty until it leaves, including
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 insist 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. 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,” said , President of the European
Parliament.
Sincere cooperation
The groups and the Constitutional Affairs Committee note 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 and they also expect sincere cooperation from the UK in
negotiations on EU legislation in other policy areas until it
leaves. They warn that 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.
“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 EP coordinator on Brexit for the European Parliament Guy
Verhofstadt.
No better status outside the EU than inside
MEPs are adamant that the benefits of being a member of the EU
cannot be the same for a country which leaves the EU. The future
relationship between the EU and the UK could, however, be an
association agreement, says the motion, drawn up by Manfred Weber
of the EPP, Gianni Pittella of the S&D, Guy Verhofstadt of
the ALDE and Philippe Lamberts and Ska Keller of the Greens/EFA)
as well as Constitutional Affairs Committee chair Danuta Hübner.
Such an agreement 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.
Transitional arrangements
MEPs 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. 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.
