Immediately after Brexit had taken place (for my assessment of what is going to change see here in English and here in German, the European Commission set up a new site: The European Union and the United Kingdom – forging a new partnership. Today, it published draft negotiating directives, as a basis for its negotiation mandate.
Month: February 2020
What Else Happened in January
Lugano and Brexit
The United Kingdom‘s plan to accede to the 2007 Lugano Convention post-Brexit appears to be on track. The UK Government announced that its intention to accede on 28 January 2020 (see here). The 2007 Lugano Convention is open to non-EU member states if all existing parties agree. The UK Government’s press release records that the UK has secured statements in support of it joining the 2007 Convention from Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. So now all that is required is to secure the consent of the EU to this course of action. Assuming that such consent can be secured, it is the intention of the UK Government to accede to the 2007 Convention at the end of the transition period (currently scheduled for 23.00 GMT on 31 December 2020).
Photo: Robert Boyle, Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects, 1665