Opinion Factsheet  

Het versterken van de betrekkingen tussen de EU en het VK op subnationaal niveau en het verzachten van de territoriale impact van de terugtrekking van het VK uit de EU

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Opinion Number: CDR 108/2022
Rapporteur: MURPHY Michael
Commission: CIVEX
Status: Adopted
Date: 28/04/2022
 
Since the conclusion of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the CoR adopted positions on the relationship with the UK in its resolutions on the European Commission work programme 2022 and was visible on the matter by dedicating a chapter on post-Brexit in its Annual Barometer and by posting an idea on "Developing links between the EU and the UK with the support of local and regional authorities" on the Digital Platform of the Conference on the Future of Europe .

The opinion will therefore represent the first positioning of the CoR entirely dedicated to the relationship with the UK in this new context. Given that the relationship between the EU and the UK is still very much determined by hazards in the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which seem to be essentially caused by conflicting agendas at national levels, the CoR opinion will be one of the first institutional positions looking beyond the "intergovernmental" relationship.

The drafting of the CoR opinion will be based on strong interactions with the CoR-UK Contact Group as well as several CoR commissions, and in particular the ECON commission on matters relating to trade and to the implementation of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) as well as with COTER on matters relating to territorial cooperation and transports.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS



- regrets that the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) lacks "territorial depth" and does not duly recognise the role of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the EU-UK relationship;

- stresses that the CoR-UK Contact Group (CG), established in February 2020, is the only institutional channel for providing a forum for continued dialogue and political partnership between the EU and UK LRAs and for exchanging know-how, in particular on territorial cooperation and cross-border issues, and calls for its formal recognition under the TCA in order to provide an assessment of the subnational dimension of the key policy and legislative issues that will have an impact on the UK-EU bilateral relationship;

- and encourages the European Parliament (EP) to adopt a formalised interaction between the CoR and the EP's Delegation to the UK (D-UK) to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) to provide territory-based evidence about the implementation of the TCA;

- welcomes the CoR study on New trade and economic relations between EU-UK: the impact on regions and cities which concludes that Brexit effects are asymmetric across sectors and EU regions, impact more heavily on smaller companies, may reduce human capital mobility and cooperation between EU and UK enterprises, and negatively affect regions and communities involved in interregional projects with the UK;

- insists that the provisions of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) Regulation relating to the involvement of regions and local communities in the implementation of the BAR and the reporting at NUTS 2 level are fully respected;

- sees untapped prospects for cooperation between EU and UK LRAs in jointly engaging on common challenges, such as providing humanitarian assistance, the sustainable management of the North Sea, the Channel and the Irish Sea, as well as the global fight against climate change, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at local and regional level and the shift towards more sustainable and digital tourism.

Importance

High
Medium
Low
 

Summary of the main points of the opinion as adopted on 27 April 2022

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

  • regrets that the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) lacks "territorial depth" and does not duly recognise the role of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the EU-UK relationship;
  • stresses that the CoR-UK Contact Group (CG), established in February 2020, is the only institutional channel for providing a forum for continued dialogue and political partnership between the EU and UK LRAs and for exchanging know-how, in particular on territorial cooperation and cross-border issues and calls for its formal recognition under the TCA in order to provide an assessment of the subnational dimension the key policy and legislative issues that will have an impact on the UK-EU bilateral relationship;
  • and encourages the European Parliament (EP) to adopt a formalised interaction between the CoR and the EP's Delegation to the UK (D-UK) to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) to provide territory-based evidence about the implementation of the TCA;
  • welcomes the CoR study on New trade and economic relations between EU-UK: the impact on regions and cities which concludes that Brexit effects are asymmetric across sectors and EU regions, impact more heavily on smaller companies, may reduce human capital mobility and cooperation between EU and UK enterprises, and negatively affect regions and communities involved in interregional projects with the UK;
  • insists that the provisions of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) Regulation relating to the involvement of regions and local communities in the implementation of the BAR and the reporting at NUTS 2 level are fully respected;
  • sees untapped prospects for cooperation between EU and UK LRAs in jointly engaging on common challenges, such as providing humanitarian assistance, the sustainable management of the North Sea, the Channel and the Irish Sea, as well as the global fight against climate change, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at local and regional level and the shift towards more sustainable and digital tourism.

 
27 Apr
 

Exchange of views at CoR's ECON commission

Discussion focused on territorial impact of Brexit, the implementation of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve and the "EU retained law"

 
15 Dec
 

Meeting with the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)

 
07 Dec
 

Bilateral meeting with the Chair of the CoR-UK Contact Group, Loïg Chesnais-Girard (FR/PES)

 
01 Dec
 

Meeting with Alun Davies and Laura Anne Jones, MS Welsh Senedd

 
01 Dec
 

Intervention at EESC EU-UK Follow-up Committee

 
22 Nov
 

Meetings with LGA, NILGA, COSLA

Online Meetings with:

  • Local Government Association: Cllr Shabir Pandor (Lab), Deputy Chair of the LGA Board, Member of Kirkless Council (West Yorkshire), Cllr Chris White (Lib Dem), Member of Hertfordshire County Council, Leader of St Albans District Council, Cllr Gillian Ford (Ind), Member of Havering London Borough Council, Richard Kitt, Head of Brussels office, Dominic Rowles, Deputy Head of Brussels office
  • NILGA : Cllr Robert Burgess (UUP), NILGA President, Cllr Matt Garrett (Sinn Fein), NILGA Vice President, Cllr Frances Burton (DUP), NILGA Vice President, Cllr Martin Kearney (SDLP), NILGA Vice President, Alan McDowell (Alliance), NILGA Vice President
  • COSLA: Cllr Alison Evison (President, Lab), VP Cllr Graham Houston (SNP), Environment and Economy Spokesperson (and CEMR Territorial Spokesperson), Cllr Steven Heddle (independent) and our Resources Spokesperson (and CEMR Employment and Social Affairs Spokesperson and observer of the European Social Dialogue), Cllr Gail Macgregor (Cons)

 
15 Nov
 

Interinstitutional meetings with MEPs and European Commission

Meetings with MEPs designated members of the Partnership Parliamentary Assembly:
Jeroen Lenaers (NL/EPP), Sean Kelly (IR/EPP), Andreas Schieder (AT/S&D), Tom Vandenkendelaere (BE/EPP)
and with the European Commission: Stefan Fuehring, Head of Unit of UKS.2 (EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement), European Commission Secretariat-General - Service for the EU-UK Agreements

 
10 Nov
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