The third EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly came to a close in Brussels on Tuesday 4 July with a shared view that a climate of trust had been restored and that there were areas of converging interest, such as support for Ukraine, energy and the strengthening of scientific cooperation between the two blocs.
But it also revealed a number of divergences and concerns, notably over the British government’s wish to abolish a number of European laws and diverge from certain European standards, confirmed the two co-chairs of the assembly, France’s Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Europe) and the UK’s Oliver Heald.
The French MEP insisted in particular on the importance of the common obligations under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the need to maintain a level playing field between the two parties by “avoiding regulatory divergences”.
Her counterpart assured that the government’s objective remains to “present the United Kingdom as a country with high standards”. Withdrawing from certain European laws “does not mean that standards will be lowered”, added the British MP.
The UK’s Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill will put an end to the supremacy of EU law in the country by the end of the year, and will allow legislators to repeal or amend hundreds of EU laws retained after Brexit, such as those relating to financial services and markets, and public procurement. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)