The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union is having an impact on the European Commission’s offices across the Channel. Beginning on 1 February, the Commission’s Permanent Representation in London will become a European Union Delegation attached to the European External Action Service (EEAS).
As of Monday 3 February, 26 people will be in place in London, with the aim of rapidly increasing the London team to around 60 people. The team will be led by João Vale de Almeida, who is returning from the United States after 10 years of representing the EU in Washington and at the UN (see EUROPE 12411/30). On the other hand, the European Commission offices in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff will close on 31 January.
“The Commission departments are still in the process of assessing their staffing needs”, said Virginie Battu-Henriksson, spokesperson for the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
This should be done in February, with the Twenty-seven due to adopt their negotiating mandate on 25 February in preparation for starting negotiations on the future EU/UK agreement in March. But it will not be the EU delegation in the UK that will drive negotiations for this agreement, as the working group led by the EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, remains in the forefront.
It will be up to the EU delegation to provide support by monitoring developments on the political situation in the UK and its impact on EU policies.
“Our Delegation will assume the traditional competences of a delegation - EU diplomatic representation, coordination and situational awareness. In addition, it will support the implementation of the Exit Agreement and the negotiation process concerning the future relationship between the EU and the United Kingdom”, said Virginie Battu.
In order to show the Union’s determination to be operational from day one, the EEAS has made it very clear to the candidates at the start: those who are not able to be ready to work on Monday 3 February, whatever their family situation, will have to resign.
“The first year will be difficult”, an expert leaving for London predicted to EUROPE, who believes that the follow-up to the orderly withdrawal agreement and the scale and pace of negotiations with the British authorities will necessarily create tensions. According to this person, the London-based delegation will also have the task of helping to “build trust” with the British authorities and to define “European positions”.
On the British side, the country’s Representation to the EU will become an embassy in a country that will be a non-Member State again after more than 45 years of association. The British Permanent Representative, Sir Tim Barrow, becomes Ambassador, and Mrs Katrina Williams becomes Deputy Ambassador. The delegation will remain the United Kingdom’s main interface with the European institutions, including for the support of negotiations on future bilateral relations and for the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement.
On Friday, the European flag was removed from the façade of the building housing the British Ambassador. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)