EC publishes draft Withdrawal Agreement for Brexit
The European Commission has published the draft Withdrawal Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom.
In a statement issued today (28 February) on its Europa.eu website, the EC said it has presented the draft Withdrawal Agreement now “to first allow for time for consultation with the Member States and the European Parliament and, subsequently, for negotiation with the United Kingdom”.
The EC statement added: “The draft Withdrawal Agreement will now be sent to the Council (Article 50) and the European Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group for discussion, before being transmitted to the United Kingdom for negotiation.
“The European Council (Article 50) has called on the United Kingdom to provide further clarity on its position on the framework for the future relationship, with a view to its meeting on 22 and 23 March, where it is expected to adopt additional guidelines.
“The overall Article 50 Withdrawal Agreement will need to be concluded by the Council (Article 50), the European Parliament, and the United Kingdom according to its own constitutional requirements.
“The United Kingdom will leave the European Union on 30 March 2019.”
There are, of course, many issues that will have to be considered before then. However, the key topics that have been dominating the current UK media coverage include the nature of the border between Northern Ireland and the Rpublic of Ireland; and the feasibility of whether the UK could leave the EU but still be part of a Customs Union.
Click here to access the EC draft Withdrawal Agreement.
