Summary
This report looks beyond the continuing uncertainty over the terms of Brexit, indeed beyond Brexit itself. It explores how the UK and the EU’s relationship will be conducted in the long term, once the UK is no longer ‘in the room’, having ceased to participate in the EU’s institutions. Given the commitment of both sides to establishing an “ambitious, broad, deep and flexible” future partnership, both the UK and the EU need to take steps to re-establish effective channels of communication and cooperation after the fraught Brexit negotiations.
We identify three key elements to this future relationship. First, notwithstanding the uncertainty over the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration, the governance mechanisms contained within them provide a structure for future dialogue that is likely to persist in any deal that is agreed. The Joint Committee, and the Specialised Committees that report to it, will be the principal formal means of UK-EU inter-governmental dialogue after Brexit takes effect. Their effectiveness will depend on the frequency of their meetings, the flexibility of their remit, senior political representation on both sides, and a mutual commitment to effective communication, appropriate powers, and full accountability.
Second, there are less formal means by which the UK may seek to exercise influence on the EU institutions and Member States. These include UK interaction with EU agencies, UK participation in EU programmes and other areas of cooperation, the evolving role of the UK Representation to the EU, the work of other Brussels-based UK offices and organisations, the role of the devolved administrations, and strong bilateral dialogue with EU Member States.
Finally, Parliament itself will have a key role. This can be broken down into four component parts:
- Parliament should continue to scrutinise EU legislative proposals;.
- It should engage with and examine the work of the governance and institutional mechanisms established under the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration;
- It should monitor and scrutinise the negotiations on the future UK-EU relationship;
- It should engage in enhanced inter-parliamentary dialogue with the European Parliament, EU Member State national parliaments, and the devolved legislatures.
The UK will inhabit a different world beyond Brexit. It will need to adapt quickly, working harder and more strategically to make use of all available tools to maximise its voice in Brussels and beyond. This in turn requires a long-term commitment, of energy, time and financial and human resources.
The current uncertainty is acute—but sooner or later it will end. The Government, Parliament and the EU all need to think carefully about what follows, and about how the inter-institutional mechanisms that will be established under any Withdrawal Agreement can be made to work most effectively. It is time to rebuild bridges.