The UK may have officially left the EU as of 11pm on 31 January 2020 (exit day), but Brexit is far from over.
Though the UK is no longer an EU Member State and will no longer participate in the political institutions and governance structures of the EU, under the transitional arrangements provided in Part 4 of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK has now entered an 11-month implementation period.
During this time the UK will continue to be treated by the EU as a Member State.
Within the implementation period—which runs from exit day until 11pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day)—the UK must continue to comply with its obligations under EU law and submit to the continuing jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union in accordance with the Withdrawal Agreement.
We have put together this chart of the key Brexit milestones, looking at the story so far vs what we know of the future:
[½Û×ÓÊÓƵ UK]
For more information on the latest from Brexit see our article: Brexit Bulletin: Latest information for lawyers
To help keep you on track with the latest Brexit developments LexisPSL has a dedicated section just for Brexit, with a focus on each Practice Area.
Click below to view our Brexit toolkit, legislation, practical guidance and FAQs.
We have also rounded up the latest Brexit news to keep you in the know.
Brexit bulletin—EU and UK set out red lines for future relationship negotiations
On 3 February 2020, the European Commission adopted draft negotiating directives, to be approved by the European Council ahead of talks on the future relationship between the UK and the EU. The draft mandate covers all areas outlined in the Political Declaration agreed between the UK and EU in October 2019 and proposes a single comprehensive partnership agreement, covering economic arrangements, security arrangements and overarching principles and governance (based on a level playing field and subject to separate agreement on fisheries). Meanwhile, the government issued a statement to Parliament, setting out high level red lines for talks on the future relationship. The UK proposals take a different approach, rejecting regulatory alignment and recommending a ‘suite of agreements’ on trade, fisheries, security and specific technical areas, accompanied by less formal cooperation in areas such as competition, data protection and public procurement.
See: .
UK withdraws Instrument of Accession for the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements
The UK has notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that as of 31 January 2020 it has withdrawn its Instrument of Accession, Note Verbale and Declarations for the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements. The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU entered into force on 1 February 2020 and includes provisions for a period of transition, which will end of the 31 December 2020. During that time, , Brussels I (recast) will continue to apply between the EU and the UK for matters of jurisdiction and enforcement. The UK has further announced that it wishes to deposit a new instrument of accession at a time which will be deemed adequate, and which will take place before the period of transition expires.
Government advises on how to support EU citizens applying for settlement
The Home Office has released documents for employers, local authorities and community groups on how best to support EU citizens who are applying to stay in the UK, as well as general information on the scheme. The documents, released on 31 January 2020, consist of promotional materials, draft letters notifying EU citizens of their rights and leaflets, all available in 25 European languages and Welsh.
Post-Brexit UK trade deal may skip national parliaments' approval, EU plans say
An EU-UK trade deal could skip lengthy national approval procedures to make sure goods and services continue to move freely between the two economies, according to plans sketched out by EU officials. But for this to work, parties must conclude talks by October 2020, making the timeline for an already-ambitious work program even tighter.
See News Analysis: .
* denotes a required field
Hannah is one of the Future of Law blog’s digital and technical editors. She graduated from Northumbria University with a degree in History and Politics and previously freelanced for News UK, before working as a senior news editor for ½Û×ÓÊÓƵ.
0330 161 1234