A European Parliament source told EUROPE on Monday 18 January that the European Parliament has requested an extension until the end of March for the provisional period of application of the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, confirming a news item about an extension on Irish television station RTE.
Although in principle the provisional period will end on 28 February, the Commission will have to take this request to the EU-UK Partnership Council. “It is unclear whether both sides will agree”, the source said, adding that the Council of the EU’s legal texts will not officially reach the European Parliament until the beginning of February.
The European Parliament had previously suggested extending provisional application of the treaty to allow it to give its consent in mid-March.
When asked about this matter in the margins of the General Affairs Council meeting, Maroš Šefčovič, the Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations, stated that Michel Barnier, the EU negotiator, had “spared no effort in keeping the European Parliament informed at every stage, at every moment” of the discussions.
The Commission wants all of the ratification procedures finalised by “the end of February”. The Commission is on “permanent” standby to help the European Parliament examine the texts in order to meet this deadline. Daniel Ferrie, another spokesperson for the Commission, was reluctant to confirm that an extension had been requested. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)