On Thursday, 27 November, the European Parliament will be called on to approve its Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on International Trade’s conclusions on the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) that the EU and London signed in 2020.
Based on the 11 November report by Thijs Reuten (S&D, Dutch) and Nina Carberry (EPP, Irish), MEPs are, generally, expected to acknowledge that the United Kingdom plays an important role in ensuring peace, security, and stability on the European continent and beyond but recognise that the “EU-UK relationship is based on full respect for, and the full, timely and faithful implementation of, the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework, and the TCA”.
Welcoming the conclusions of the summit held in London on 19 May that duly recorded that relations had been relaunched, they are expected to be particularly pleased with “the agreement on a new EU-UK Strategic Partnership, marking a renewal of mutual commitments and a deepening of bilateral cooperation, as well as the agreement to hold annual summits between the two parties”.
Nevertheless, political declarations and good intentions must “now be delivered on”—the report stressing that the EU and the United Kingdom need to honour their commitments, particularly those in the area of the defence industry.
The European Parliament will also call on both parties to fully implement the Trade and Cooperation Agreement; to harness its full potential in areas of common interest, notably through voluntary sectoral alignment, mutual recognition mechanisms, and dialogue on regulatory innovation; and to consider increased cooperation in matters relating to customs.
They thus welcome the launch of negotiations on an agreement to facilitate trade in agricultural products (see EUROPE 13751/23). The agreement aiming to establish “a common SPS [Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary—Ed.] area would significantly reduce trade friction and contribute to stability and predictability for businesses by removing the vast majority of certification and control requirements for the movement of animals, animal products, plants and plant products between Great Britain and the EU while maintaining high standards”.
The European Parliament is also expected to reaffirm that it supports the United Kingdom participating in Erasmus+.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/jjl (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)