MEP David McAllister (EPP, Germany) and Chair of the Parliament's UK coordination group, explained to EUROPE the group's mission and its vision for the agreement on future EU-UK relations. (Interview by Camille-Cerise Gessant)
Agence Europe - British negotiator David Frost said on Monday in his speech at the ULB that the UK refused in principle to align with EU rules (see EUROPE 12428/13). Are you worried or surprised about that?
David McAllister - This speech didn’t come as a surprise for me, this kind of positioning now was to be expected. We really should start the negotiations now. The sooner the better. Once the Member States finally adopt the mandate on 25 February, we can start concrete negotiations in the beginning of March.
It is clear the negotiations won’t be easy. But, as the EU, we should start these negotiations from a position of certainty, goodwill, shared interests and purpose.
Thanks to the British position to definitely not prolong the transition period, we are under extreme time pressure. We need to be realistic on what can be achieved in nine months and what cannot, we will certainly have to prioritise.
So what will be the role of the European Parliament?
The Commission is, and will be, the sole negotiator. It is important that, throughout the process, the EU institutions and the Member States will continue to stay united and defend the interests of the Union and its citizens.
No agreement in the end can be concluded without the Parliament’s consent. Therefore, the European Parliament should be immediately and fully informed at all stages of the procedure.
The UK coordination group, which I have the honour to chair, will exercise the political coordination in the Parliament of the negotiations on the future relations with the UK. We will overview the work being carried out in the committees in order to ensure that the European Parliament has a coherent position and a good and constructive exchange of information with the task force of the Commission. The political detailed work will be done in the committees and by the committees.
How will the UK coordination group work?
We have agreed with the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, that there will be meetings of the UK coordination group before every negotiation round so that we are briefed on the issues. And we will be debriefed after every negotiation round.
The UK coordination group will invite relevant committee chairs and rapporteurs to those meetings where their issues are being dealt with.
I’m very sure we will be able to coordinate the work of the committees. And I have the large majority of the political groups on board. The first proof of work was the 20-page-long resolution adopted last week in Strasbourg with a huge majority (see EUROPE 12424/1). Now, it is important to keep unity of the vital issues.
We expect the European Parliament position to be taken into consideration by the EU Council when it adopts the negotiating directives next Tuesday because, in the end, any agreement with the British will need to find a majority in the European Parliament.
What are the main sensitive issues you will have to deal with in the negotiations?
What we are trying to achieve is a partnership which in its depth and ambition will be unique.
We’re talking about a partnership from trade to security, from transport to energy, from fisheries to education.
The negotiations won’t be easy. Some problems will pop up (that) we probably are not thinking of yet now.
For the European Parliament there are three objectives of special importance when negotiating. We need to find solutions that uphold the integrity of the EU, of the single market and of the customs union.
The main focus of course, will be on the economic issues, trade. There has to be a right balance of rights and obligations. And this includes the level playing field.
Are the financial services something important to have in the future agreement?
Financial services will be a field which will require a lot of discussion and complicated negotiations.
The level of quota and duty-free access to the world's biggest single market for the UK will correspond to the extent of regulatory convergence and the commitment to a level playing field.
It's as simple as that. The more the UK is ready to align with our standards, the better access they will have to the single market. So, it’s a political decision which London has to take.
We will not enter a race to the bottom when it comes to our standards. A level playing field has to be guaranteed through robust commitments and enforceable provisions on competition and State Aid, through relevant tax matters, including the fight against tax evasion and money laundering, and through the full respect of social, environmental and labour standards.
Has the EU a real leverage in the negotiations?
Both sides should be optimistic and positive that we want to achieve something together. A close partnership is in our mutual interest.
The UK is an interesting market for the exporting economy of the EU-27. Roughly 10% of our exports go to the UK. And the largest single market in the world is directly in the immediate neighbourhood of the UK. About 50% of UK exports go to the single market.
So to put it diplomatically, it is just as interesting for the UK to try and achieve nearly frictionless trade. A free trade agreement will not be equivalent to frictionless trade, but let’s try and work as closely together as possible.
We are ready to design a new partnership with zero tariffs, zero quotas and zero dumping, a partnership that goes well beyond trade and is unprecedented in scope. That is our ambition.