European Union Committe
UK-EU relations after Brexit

17th Report of Session 2017-19 - published 8 June 2018 - HL Paper 149

Contents

Summary

Chapter 1: Introduction

Leaving the EU and forging a new partnership

The present inquiry

Chapter 2: The scope of the future UK-EU relationship

Compare and contrast

Table 1: Comparison of the UK Government, European Council
and European Parliament’s positions on future UK-EU relations (5 June 2018)

The obstacles to agreement

Figure 1: The ‘Stairway to Brexit’

Conclusions

Chapter 3: The benefits and costs of the new relationship

No ‘free lunch’

Figure 2: The future UK-EU relationship: benefits and compromises

Uncontested benefits

Free trade in goods

Free trade in services

Internal security cooperation

External security cooperation

Contested benefits

Trade policy

Regulatory divergence and the ‘level playing field’

Agriculture and fisheries

Weighing costs against benefits

Ireland and Northern Ireland

Conclusions

Chapter 4: Models for the future relationship

Models for future UK-EU economic relations

European Free Trade Association

A customs union

A customs partnership

A Free Trade Agreement

Ireland and Northern Ireland

Several agreements

An Association Agreement?

Box 1: Association Agreements

Conclusions

Chapter 5: Reaching the finishing line

The ticking clock

Finalising the ‘political declaration’

A long-term vision

Conclusions

Summary of conclusions and recommendations

Appendix 1: List of Members and declarations of interest

Appendix 2: List of witnesses

Evidence is published online at https://www.parliament.uk/post-brexit-uk-eu-relations-lords-inquiry and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020 7219 3074).

Q in footnotes refers to a question in oral evidence.





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