Brexit: European Council and Commission

Lord Dykes Excerpts

Tuesday 27th March 2018 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Dykes]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have given to the most recent submissions from the European Council and Commission on the Brexit negotiations.

[The Minister of State, Department for Exiting the European Union (Lord Callanan) (Con)]

My Lords, the European Union published a draft withdrawal agreement text as part of our ongoing negotiations under Article 50. We have made significant progress towards concluding much of the withdrawal agreement by agreeing the chapters on financial settlement and citizens’ rights, in line with the joint report, as well as the terms of a time-limited implementation period. We will carry this momentum forward and aim to reach agreement on the entire withdrawal agreement by October.

[Lord Dykes (CB)]

I thank the Minister for that Answer. How long will the Government need to renegotiate the existing trade agreements with non-members who have trade agreements with the European Union as a whole? Will the 21 months of the transition period be enough?

[Lord Callanan]

We are pursuing many of these multilateral agreements in a whole range of areas, including trade agreements, and we are confident that we have enough time to complete those negotiations.