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BREXIT BRIEF BREXIT - The Institute of International and European Affairs
BREXIT BRIEF
         BRIEF
                                          BREXIT

 Brexit Brief Issue 79: 22 January 2020

Introduction
The Brief seeks to provide up-to-date information on the progress and content of the UK-EU negotiations, and
bring together relevant statements and policy positions from key players in Ireland, the UK and EU.
The Brief is part of a wider communications programme covering the work of the IIEA’s UK Project Group –
including commentaries, speeches, texts and event reports – which are highlighted on the Institute’s website.
(www.iiea.com)

Section One: State of Play                                        our laws and our trade policy.” He further said that once the
                                                                  Withdrawal Agreement had been ratified, the Government
Withdrawal Agreement Bill Passed by House of Commons              would “proceed swiftly to the completion of a free trade deal
                                                                  with the EU by the end of December 2020 […] bringing the
The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill was                supremacy of EU law to an end and restoring permanently
approved by the House of Commons on 9 January. The                the sovereignty of this place.” He concluded:
Government secured a vote of 330-231, a majority of 99.
The newly elected SDLP and Alliance Party MPs joined the            Three years ago, Parliament entrusted the decision
other opposition parties in voting against the Bill while the       of our relationship with the EU to the British
                                                                    people. By passing the Bill, we will send a clear
eight DUP MPs abstained. The Bill was then delivered to the         message that we have listened, and we have acted.
House of Lords for further scrutiny.                                In doing so, we will restore trust in this House and
                                                                    in our democracy. Once Brexit is delivered on 31
The Brexit Secretary, Steve Barclay, made the concluding            January, we can turn our eyes towards our other
speech for the Government, urging the House of Lords to             national priorities: education and skills; making
                                                                    our country safer; investing in the future of our
pass the Bill, on the basis of the “resounding message from the     much-loved NHS; and levelling up all parts of the
British people on 12 December” and the “sizeable majorities in      United Kingdom. This is what people care about.
the Committee votes”. He outlined that the Bill would “secure       It is what this people’s Government cares about.
our departure from the European Union with a deal that gives        Passing the Brexit Bill will unlock the time and
                                                                    energy to make those priorities a reality.
certainty to business, protects the rights of our citizens and
ensures that we regain control of our money, our borders,

                                                                                      BREXIT BRIEF 079 | JAN 2020
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During the Commons debate, all eleven Northern Ireland              For the opposition Labour Party, Lady Hayter remarked:
MPs joined forces to seek changes in the legislation to             “Before us we have a very poor Bill, and one that is being
guarantee “unfettered access” for Northern Ireland businesses       rushed through Parliament. The Government are determined
to the rest of the United Kingdom. Their amendment was              to allow no change whatever, even if deficiencies are identified.
strongly supported in statements by Sinn Féin, the Ulster           This is both stupid, as corrections will have to be made later,
Unionist Party and Northern Ireland business leaders. The           and arrogant, with scant regard to our normal, democratic
amendment was defeated by 337 votes to 262.                         method of law-making.”

The DUP spokesman, Sammy Wilson – the only Northern                 European Parliament
Ireland MP allowed to speak on the amendment – said that:
                                                                    To enter into force, the Withdrawal Agreement between
  Every Northern Ireland MP in the House of                         the European Union and the United Kingdom needs to be
  Commons supported this proposal, such is the                      approved by the European Parliament by a simple majority
  degree of concern about the impact on the Northern
                                                                    of votes cast under the terms of Article 50 (2) of the Treaty
  Ireland economy if we do not have such access to our
  largest market. The Government’s own assessments                  on European Union. Parliament will vote on the Withdrawal
  state that there will be an impact on the Northern                Agreement after the ratification process in the UK has been
  Ireland economy from the withdrawal agreement.                    completed. The vote is expected to take place on 29 January.
The Director of CBI in Northern Ireland, Angela McGowan,
                                                                    The UK departure from the EU will be marked in the
commented that “given the unprecedented support from the
                                                                    European Parliament in a low-key ceremony shortly after the
Northern Ireland political parties and business community it
                                                                    formal vote on the Withdrawal Agreement. The heads of the
is clearly disappointing that reassurances haven’t yet translated
                                                                    British political party delegations will be invited to contribute
into clear legal commitments.”
                                                                    a few words. The UK flag will be lowered by parliament staff
House of Lords Scrutiny                                             and sent to the Brussels House of History Museum.

The House of Lords dealt with the Second Reading and                The Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group will be disbanded.
Committee stages of the Withdrawal Bill in the week of              A UK coordination group will be established to keep MEPs
13-16 January 2020. The Bill was subjected to line-by-line          abreast of the negotiations on the future EU-UK relationship.
examination and a number of amendments were proposed
but not adopted. The Report Stage was scheduled to begin on         President von der Leyen in London
20 January and the Government expect the Bill to return to
                                                                    The Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, visited
the House of Commons for its final adoption, ensuring that
                                                                    London on 8 January 2020 for discussions with Prime
Brexit will take place on 31 January.
                                                                    Minister Boris Johnson on the issues arising from the UK‘s
Introducing the Bill, Lord Callanan, for the Government said:       imminent exit from the European Union.
“I am delighted that we have been able to secure our departure
                                                                    Downing Street issued a memorandum on the discussions:
from the EU with a deal that gives certainty to businesses,
protects the rights of citizens and ensures that we regain            On Brexit, the PM stressed that his immediate
control of our money, our borders and our laws. Passing this          priority was to implement the Withdrawal
Bill will allow us to honour the result of the 2016 referendum,       Agreement by January 31. They discussed the
                                                                      progress of ratification in the UK and in the
get Brexit done and focus on our other national priorities.”          European Parliament. He said the UK wanted a
                                                                      positive new UK and EU partnership, based on

As an independent forum, the Institute does not express any opinions of its own. The views expressed in the article are the sole
responsibility of the author.
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  friendly cooperation, our shared history, interests               unprecedented in scope. Everything from climate
  and values. The PM reiterated that we wanted                      action to data protection, fisheries to energy,
  a broad free trade agreement covering goods and                   transport to space, financial services to security.
  services, and cooperation in other areas.                         And we are ready to work day and night to get as
                                                                    much of this done within the timeframe we have.
  The PM was clear that the UK would not extend
                                                                    None of this means it will be easy but we start this
  the Implementation Period beyond 31 December
                                                                    negotiation from a position of certainty, goodwill,
  2020; and that any future partnership must not
                                                                    shared interests and purpose.
  involve any kind of alignment or ECJ jurisdiction.
  He said the UK would also maintain control of UK
                                                                  UK Chief Negotiator Selected
  fishing waters and our immigration system. The PM
  made clear that we would continue to ensure high                Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed David Frost,
  standards in the UK in areas like workers’ rights,
  animal welfare, agriculture and the environment.                his Europe Adviser both as Foreign Secretary and Prime
                                                                  Minister, to head Taskforce Europe at the Cabinet Office
  The PM said the UK was ready to start negotiations
  on the future partnership and Canada-style FTA as               and to lead the upcoming negotiations on future relations
  soon as possible after January 31.                              between the UK and the EU. David Frost is seen as one of
                                                                  the few senior Foreign Office diplomats who has supported
President von der Leyen delivered a major keynote speech
                                                                  Brexit. The EU has established its Taskforce, led by Michel
at the London School of Economics. She spoke of Brexit
                                                                  Barnier, and the Council will adopt a formal mandate for the
day as “a tough and emotional day” and said that the EU is
                                                                  negotiations in February.
ready to negotiate “a truly ambitious and comprehensive new
partnership” and “will go as far as we can.” She also addressed
                                                                  As preparations are made for opening negotiations in February
the complexity of the negotiations ahead and spoke of the
                                                                  or March the stated position of the UK Government that
cost of divergence from Single Market regulation:
                                                                  an agreement must be reached by the end of the Article 50
  But the truth is that our partnership cannot and                Transition Period on 31 December 2020 constitutes a major
  will not be the same as before. And it cannot and               challenge. This UK position has been written into law in the
  will not be as close as before – because with every             Withdrawal Agreement Bill. Michel Barnier has commented
  choice comes a consequence. With every decision
                                                                  that failure to meet this UK red line would mean that “the
  comes a trade-off. Without the free movement
  of people, you cannot have the free movement of                 transition period will end on 1 January 2021 without any
  capital, goods and services. Without a level playing            arrangements for a new future relationship […] it would
  field on environment, labour, taxation and state                mean the return of tariffs and quotas: a total anachronism for
  aid, you cannot have the highest quality access to
                                                                  interconnected economies like ours.”
  the world’s largest Single Market.
  The more divergence there is, the more distant the              EU sources suggest that consideration is being given to
  partnership has to be. And without an extension of              negotiating separate, limited arrangements in a number of
  the transition period beyond 2020, you cannot expect
  to agree on every single aspect of our new partnership.         key areas – trade, fisheries, transport, aviation, security –
  We will have to prioritise. The European Union’s                within the limited timeframe. President von der Leyen said
  objectives in the negotiation are clear. We will work           in London that “The transition time is very, very tight. So, it
  for solutions that uphold the integrity of the EU, its          is basically impossible to negotiate all […] so we will have to
  single market and its Customs Union. There can be
  no compromise on this.                                          prioritise.” She then made the case for an extended transition
                                                                  period. “We might want to make a reconsideration of the
  But we are ready to design a new partnership
  with zero tariffs, zero quotas, zero dumping. A                 time frame before 1 July.”
  partnership that goes well beyond trade and is

As an independent forum, the Institute does not express any opinions of its own. The views expressed in the article are the sole
responsibility of the author.
BREXIT
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It is reported in London that Boris Johnson intends to                wide range of policy areas and institutional arrangements. In
formally open trade talks with the US before the opening              particular, the Commitments dealt with the implications of
of discussions with the EU on long term relationships. It is          the UK Withdrawal Agreement for the island of Ireland.
argued that speaking to the US first will show that “we mean
business and we’re not messing around.”                               The UK Government recognised

Chancellor of the Exchequer: ‘no alignment’ with EU                     the importance for Northern Ireland of the negotiations with
                                                                        the European Union on a new trading relationship, and on the
In an interview with the Financial Times, the Chancellor of             implementation of the Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement
the Exchequer, Sajid Javid delivered a hard message to UK               on Northern Ireland and Ireland. We have already committed
business leaders hoping for close relations with EU systems,            to ensuring that there is a New Deal for Northern Ireland as
structures and rules, telling them that “There will not be              we leave the European Union, maximising trade opportunities
alignment, we will not be a ruletaker, we will not be in the            and investment. The Government is determined to get the
Single Market and we will not be in the Customs Union                   right deal for Northern Ireland and the whole of the United
— and we will do this by the end of the year.” He made it               Kingdom and would welcome close engagement with a restored
clear that there could be no prospect of Treasury support for           Executive on Northern Ireland’s priorities in the next phase.
big manufacturing sectors — which include cars, aerospace,
pharmaceuticals, and food and drink — that favour alignment             In recognition of this, the Government will ensure that
with EU regulations. Mr Javid urged companies to “adjust” to            representatives from the Northern Ireland Executive are invited
the new reality.                                                        to be part of the UK delegation in any meetings of the UK-EU
                                                                        Specialised or Joint Committees discussing Northern Ireland
The UK car industry responded to the Chancellor’s message               specific matters which are also being attended by the Irish
by warning that splitting from European regulations will cost           Government as part of the European Union’s delegation.
billions of pounds and damage British manufacturing and
consumer choice. The Food and Drink Federation said that                We will aim to negotiate with the European Union additional
the proposals were likely to cause food prices to rise later in the     flexibilities and sensible practical measures across all aspects of
year. The CBI argued that, for many firms, keeping existing             the Protocol that are supported by business groups in Northern
EU rules would support jobs.                                            Ireland and maximise the free flow of trade. The Government
                                                                        commits to ensuring that Northern Ireland’s businesses benefit
Section Two: The Evolving Debate                                        from the UK’s new Free Trade Agreements signed with other
                                                                        countries, and to consulting a restored Executive along with
Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Re-                             the other devolved administrations on our wider trade policy.
established
                                                                      The Irish Government believes “that the North South
On Saturday 11 January 2020 the five Northern Ireland
                                                                      Ministerial Council can take forward important action-
political parties reached an agreement paving the way for
                                                                      oriented dialogue in the context of the implications of
the recalling of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the re-
                                                                      Brexit, as well as other strategic challenges for these islands,
establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive, with the
                                                                      including all-island cooperation and coordination to tackle
DUP’s Arlene Foster as First Minister and Sinn Féin’s Michelle
                                                                      climate breakdown. The North South Bodies are a vital part
O’Neill as Deputy First Minister.
                                                                      of delivering all-island cooperation as an integral part of
As part of the overall agreement the UK and Irish                     the Good Friday Agreement. The Government is ready to
Governments published detailed Commitments across a                   immediately resume discussions with the Executive on the

As an independent forum, the Institute does not express any opinions of its own. The views expressed in the article are the sole
responsibility of the author.
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next period of corporate planning guidance for the North                is fair competition. We are open to keeping the
South Bodies and on necessary resourcing within wider                   United Kingdom as close as possible to us. But the
budgetary parameters.”
                                                                        truth is that our partnership cannot and will not be
                                                                        as close as before – because with every choice comes
                                                                        a consequence. With every decision comes a trade-
Commission President von der Leyen in Dublin                            off. We all know that the negotiations will not be
                                                                        easy. But I am very confident that Phil Hogan and
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Dublin                Michel Barnier will do an outstanding job – good
on 15 January 2020. Following talks with the Taoiseach,                 that we can count on them! And I am convinced
Leo Varadkar, she said that formal talks with the UK, which             that the European Union and Ireland will continue
                                                                        to thrive.
would begin at the end of February or early March, would
simultaneously cover a range of issues and remarked that “We          EU Preparatory Arrangements
are in a very good spirit to go as fast as possible to work as hard
as possible day and night to move forward quickly.”                   An Ad Hoc Council Working Party assists the Council and
                                                                      Coreper (Committee of Permanent Representatives) in
The Commission President addressed a State Dinner in                  all matters related to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. It
Dublin Castle on 15 January 2020, recalling that, when                has a permanent chair and meets in an EU27 format. The
Ireland joined the EEC in 1973, the country was seeking to            role of the Council (and its preparatory bodies) is to ensure
achieve a standard of living comparable to that of the other          that the Brexit negotiations are carried out in line with the
nations of Western Europe.                                            European Council guidelines and the Council negotiating
                                                                      directives, as well as to provide continuous guidance to the
  This was less than 50 years ago, but it feels like
  ages. Ireland is a different country today – peaceful,              Union negotiator.
  prosperous, confident about the future. Your success
  is partly linked to European funds and the power                    The European Commission has established a Task Force for
  of the Single Market. But the European Union has                    Relations with the United Kingdom, headed by the former
  been much more to Ireland. Your membership of the                   Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier. The Task Force will be
  European Union paved the way to the Good Friday
  Agreement – through years of diplomacy, increased                   in charge of coordinating all the European Commission’s
  trust with the United Kingdom, and the removal                      work on strategic, operational, legal and financial issues
  of customs posts from the border. And when Brexit                   related to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal and its future
  put the Good Friday Agreement under threat, the                     relationship with the European Union. The Task Force
  European Union stood firmly on the side of peace.
                                                                      will bring together resources from across the Commission
  The United Kingdom has committed to a Protocol                      involving EU High Representative, Josep Borrell and Trade
  that makes sure that a hard border will never ever
  come back again, neither physically, nor mentally.                  Commissioner, Phil Hogan.
  We now expect the Withdrawal Protocol to be
  implemented in full and we will invest in ensuring                  The Task Force has initiated internal preparatory discussions
  that. We will not let anyone turn the clock back                    with the Council Working Party with the production of a series
  to those dark days – you have my word. And for                      of Slides for presentational and information purposes covering,
  that I am very happy to note the recent agreement
                                                                      to date, areas including Free Trade Agreement, Personal Date
  on restoring of power sharing government in
  Northern Ireland.                                                   Protection, Level Playing Field and Sustainability, Fisheries,
  Last week I was in London to meet Prime Minister                    Transport, Energy, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, Security
  Boris Johnson. I have made clear that we want the                   and Defence.
  closest possible relations with the UK – our British
  friends. It is the story about old friends and new
  beginnings. Our goal is zero tariffs and zero quotas
  on our mutual trade. But the precondition for this

As an independent forum, the Institute does not express any opinions of its own. The views expressed in the article are the sole
responsibility of the author.
BREXIT
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Conference on Future of Europe                                   Angela Merkel in Financial Times

The concept of a Conference on the Future of Europe              In a rare interview with the Financial Times, Angela Merkel
featured in the strategic agenda proposed by the incoming        spoke of Brexit as a “wake-up call” for the EU. She said
Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, arguing that         that Europe must respond by “upping its game”, becoming
Europeans must be given a stronger role in EU decision-          “attractive, innovative, creative, a good place for research and
making. The European Council, on 12 December 2019                education” which is why, she argues, the “EU must continue
published Conclusions on the Conference:                         to reform.”

  The European Council considered the idea of a                  She also spoke of her “firm conviction”, which guides her
  Conference on the Future of Europe starting in
                                                                 to work towards “the best win-win situations […] when
  2020 and ending in 2022. It asks the Croatian
  Council Presidency to work towards defining a                  partnership of benefit to both sides are put into practice
  Council position on the content, scope, composition            worldwide.” She is determined to “preserve and defend
  and functioning of such a conference and to engage,            multilateralism” a concept which the article described
  on this basis, with the European Parliament and
                                                                 as embattled, in an age of Trump, Brexit and a resurgent
  the Commission.
                                                                 Russia. She described Europe as “Germany’s anchor” saying
  The Conference should build on the successful
                                                                 that “I see the European Union as our life insurance […]
  holding of citizens’ dialogues over the past two years
  and foresee broad consultation of citizens in the              Germany is far too small to exert geopolitical influence
  course of the process. It needs to involve the Council,        on its own, and that’s why we need to make use of all the
  the European Parliament and the Commission, in                 benefits of the Single Market.”
  full respect of the interinstitutional balance and
  their respective roles as defined in the Treaties.             Section Three: Background Material and
  The European Council underlines the need for an                Further Reading
  inclusive process, with all Member States involved
  equally. There should be shared ownership by EU
  institutions and Member States, including their                Background Material
  parliaments.
                                                                 Hansard European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill
The General Affairs Council will take up the issue at the end    2019. https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2020-01-09/
of January.                                                      debates/D0792D24-67D7-484C-B94F-3A7D43685852/
                                                                 EuropeanUnion(WithdrawalAgreement)Bill
The European Parliament, on 15 January 2020, launched
a debate on the Conference and adopted a Resolution              House of Lords European Union Committee. Brexit: the
outlining its initial position. The Resolution argued that the   revised Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration,
Conference: “should be an occasion to closely involve EU         10 January 2020. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/
citizens in a bottom-up exercise in which they are listened      ld5801/ldselect/ldeucom/4/4.pdf
to and their voices contribute to the debates on the future
of Europe” and that the Conference should be composed            GOV.UK         Joint Statement from President Macron,
of a range of bodies with diverse responsibilities, such as: a   Chancellor Merkel and Prime Ministerr Johnson, 6
Conference Plenary, Citizens’ agoras, Youth agoras, a Steering   January 2020. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-
Committee and an Executive Coordination Board. It also           statement-from-president-macron-chancellor-merkel-and-
emphasised that all bodies at all levels of the Conference       prime-minister-johnson-on-the-situation-in-iraq
should be gender balanced.

As an independent forum, the Institute does not express any opinions of its own. The views expressed in the article are the sole
responsibility of the author.
BREXIT
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Governments of UK and Ireland New Decade New                     Financial Times Boris Johnson puts faith in Brexit supporter
Approach, January 2020. https://www.dfa.ie/news-and-             David Frost. FT, 16 January 2020. https://www.ft.com/
media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2020/january/new-     content/bef4d592-21a4-11ea-b8a1-584213ee7b2b
decade-new-approach-.php
                                                                 Irish Times EU’s Barnier says it will take more than a year
GOV.UK PM meeting with EU Commission President                   to agree full deal with UK. IT, 9 January 2020. https://www.
Ursula von der Leyen: 8 January 2020. https://www.gov.           irishtimes.com/business/economy/eu-s-barnier-says-it-will-
uk/government/news/pm-meeting-with-eu-commission-                take-more-than-a-year-to-agree-full-deal-with-uk-1.4134757
president-ursula-von-der-leyen-8-january-2020
                                                                 Open Europe Attention turns to the structure of next phase
European Commission         Speech by President von der          Brexit talks, 9 January 2020. https://www.openeurope.org.uk
Leyen at the London School of Economics on ‘Old friends,
new beginnings: building another future for the EU-              Philip Stephens Memo to Brexit Britain – free trade is not
UK partnership’, 8 January 2020. https://ec.europa.eu/           a vote-winner. FT, 16 January 2020. https://www.ft.com/
commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_20_3                     content/be0c198a-3791-11ea-a6d3-9a26f8c3cba4

European Commission Remarks by Michel Barnier at the             Financial Times Boris Johnson to seek fast-track EU
European Commission Representation in Sweden, 9 January          trade talks.  FT, 6 January 2020. https://www.ft.com/
2020. https://www.ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/           content/4e9246d6-2fd7-11ea-9703-eea0cae3f0de
detail/en/STATEMENT_20_13
                                                                 The Guardian Brexit: Boris Johnson to open trade talks with
RTE         Johnson describes Von der Leyen meeting as           Ursula von der Leyen. Guardian, 6 January 2020. https://
‘positive’.    RTE, 8 January 2020. https://www.rte.ie/          www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/06/johnson-to-
news/2020/0108/1104978-brexit                                    open-post-brexit-trade-talks-with-ursula-von-der-leyen

Financial Times Ursula von der Leyen: three takeaways            The Telegraph         Boris Johnson says he is ready to
from her Brexit speech. FT, 9 January 2020. https://www.         negotiate Canada-style Free Trade Agreement with the EU.
ft.com/content/76624cac-3238-11ea-a329-0bcf87a328f2              Telegraph, 9 January 2020. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
                                                                 politics/2020/01/08/boris-johnson-says-ready-negotiate-
RTE EU chief vows ‘day and night’ talks on post-Brexit           canada-style-free-trade-agreement
trade deal. RTE, 15 January 2020. https://www.rte.ie/news/
politics/2020/0115/1107709-von-der-leyen-dublin.                 Irish Times Johnson signals ‘no alignment’ with European
                                                                 Court of Justice. IT, 9 January 2020. https://www.irishtimes.
Denis Staunton Johnson’s withdrawal agreement secures            com/news/world/uk/johnson-signals-no-alignment-with-
firm backing of House of Commons. IT, 10 January 2020.           european-court-of-justice-1.4134270
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/johnson-s-
withdrawal-agreement-secures-firm-backing-of-house-of-           The Guardian Brace yourself: the next phase of Brexit is
commons-1.4135265                                                going to get messy. Guardian, 7 January 2020. https://www.
                                                                 theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/07/next-phase-
Politico Von der Leyen: EU to pursue ‘unprecedented’ deal        brexit-messy
with UK. Politico, 8 January 2020. https://www.politico.eu/
article/von-der-leyen-eu-to-pursue-unprecedented-deal-with-uk

As an independent forum, the Institute does not express any opinions of its own. The views expressed in the article are the sole
responsibility of the author.
BREXIT
BRIEF                                                                                 BREXIT BRIEF 079 | JAN 2020

Financial Times Forget staying close to EU after Brexit,         Centre for European EU Sticking to Tried and Trusted
chancellor tells business. FT, 17 January 2020. https://www.     Approach to Brexit Talks, 15 January 2020. https://www.cer.
ft.com/content/18ddc610-3940-11ea-a6d3-9a26f8c3cba4              eu/in-the-press/eu-sticking-tried-and-tested-approach-brexit-
                                                                 talks
BBC Brexit: ‘No alignment’ with EU on regulation, Javid
tells business. BBC, 18 January 2020. https://www.bbc.           The Telegraph Boris Johnson expected to open trade talks
com/news/uk-politics-51157933                                    with US before negotiating with the EU. Telegraph, 18 January
                                                                 2020.      https://www,telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/17/
Irish Times Britain’s chancellor says ‘no alignment’ with EU     boris-johnsonexpected-open-trade-talks-us-negotiating-eu
after Brexit. IT, 17 January 2020. https://www.irishtimes.
com/news/world/uk/britain-s-chancellor-says-no-alignment-        Financial Times Boris Johnson tees up fight over fishing
with-eu-after-brexit-1.4144234                                   in talks with EU leaders. FT, 9 January 2020. https://www.
                                                                 ft.com/content/a0190f9a-3206-11ea-a329-0bcf87a329f2
Financial Times      Carmakers say diverging from EU
regulation will cost ‘billions’. FT, 18 January 2020.            Financial Times CBI urges government to include business
https://www.ft.com/content/10ec1b28-39f4-11ea-b232-              in post-Brexit trade talks. FT, 14 January 2020. https://
000f4477fbca                                                     www.ft.com/37b1c9b8-33c0-11ea-9703-eea0cae3f0de

BBC Brexit: Price rises warning after chancellor vows EU         The Telegraph Boris Johnson on collision course with big
rules divergence. BBC, 18 January 2020. https://www.bbc.         business groups as aides plan to ditch two-year hiatus before
com/news/uk-politics-51161808                                    new immigration rules. Telegraph, 18 January 2020. https://
                                                                 www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/18/boris-johnson-
Politico Salami tactics loom for Brexit trade talks. Politico,   collision-course-big-business-groups-aides-plan
9 January 2020. https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-uk-deal-
salami-tactics-loom-for-brexit-trade-talks                       Will Hutton Remainers aren’t going to vanish on 31 January.
                                                                 We fight on, sure of our cause. Guardian, 12 January 2019.
Euractiv Parliament kicks off debate on the Future of            https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/12/
Europe Conference, 18 January 2020. https://www.euractiv.        remainers-arent-going-to-vanish-on-31-we-fight-on-sure-of-
com/section/future-eu/news/parliament-kicks-off-debate-on-       our-cause
the-future-of-europe-conference
                                                                 The Telegraph Brexit is a ‘wake-up call’ for the EU, says
European Parliament Resolution of 15 January on the              Angela Merkel. Telegraph, 16 January 2020. https://www.
European Parliament’s position on the Conference on the          telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/01/16/brexit-wake-up-call-eu-
Future of Europe. https://www,europarl.europa.eu/doceo/          says-angela-merkel
document/TA-9-2020-0010_EN.html
                                                                 Centre for European Reform Flexibility does not come for
RTE      UK’s Brexit bill set for final parliamentary            free, 16 January 2020. https://www.cer.eu/insights/flexibility-
hurdle.   RTE, 7 January 2020. https://rte.ie/news/              does-not-come-free
world/2020/0107/1104721-brexit

As an independent forum, the Institute does not express any opinions of its own. The views expressed in the article are the sole
responsibility of the author.
BREXIT
BRIEF                                                                                 BREXIT BRIEF 079 | JAN 2020

The Guardian Brexit: no union jack-lowering ceremony in          Irish Times EU will not be rushed into trade deal ‘just
European parliament. Guardian, 16 January 2020. https://         because Britain passes law’, says Coveney. IT, 14 January
www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/16/brexit-no-              2020.      https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/eu-will-
union-jack-lowering-ceremony-in-european-parliament              not-be-rushed-into-trade-deal-just-because-britain-passes-
                                                                 law-says-coveney-1.4137383
The Federal Trust Scotland’s European Choices as UK
exits the EU, 14 January 2020. https://www.fedtrust.co.uk/       Tony Connelly      Brexit talks: Goodbye Canada, hello
scotlands-european-choices-as-uk-exits-the-eu                    Switzerland? RTE, 11 January 2020. https://www.rte.ie/
                                                                 news/brexit/2020/0110/1105666-brexit-talks
European Council on Foreign Relations. Boris’s revenge:
The coming assault on Britain’s democracy, 16 December           Irish Times        North’s MPs fail in bid to alter British
2019.      https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_boriss_        government Brexit law. IT, 9 January 2020. https://www.
revenge_the_comingh_assault_on_britains_democracy                irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/north-s-mps-fail-in-
                                                                 bid-to-alter-british-government-brexity-law-1.4134225
Financial Times Angela Merkel warns EU: ‘Brexit is a wake-
up call.’ FT, 15 January 2020. https://www.ft.cm/content/        Simon Carswell Northern Ireland MPs unite in seeking
a6785028-35f1-11ea-a6d3-9a26f8c3cba4                             changes to Brexit bill. IT, 7 January 2020. https://www.
                                                                 irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/northern-ireland-
Seanad Eireann          Seanad Special Select Committee:         mps-unite-in-seeking-changes-to-brexit-bill-1.4131899
Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European
Union. Brexit Progress Report, December 2019. https://           Tommie Gorman Stormont is re-opened for business.
data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/committee/dail/32/seanad_       RTE, 11 January 2020.          https://www.rte.ie/news/
special_committee_on_the_withdrawal_of_the_united_               ireland/2020/0111/1105752-stormont-ni-politics
kingdom_from_the_european_union/reports/2019/2019-
12-17_b                                                          Katy Hayward Northern Ireland may find itself between
                                                                 a rock and a hard place after Brexit. IT, 14 January 2019.
Merrion Street     Taoiseach welcomes EU Commission              https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/northern-ireland-
President von der Leyen on inaugural visit to Dublin, 15         may-find-itself-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-after-
January 2020. https://www.merrionstreet.ie/News-Room-            brexit-1.4137426
News/Taoiseach_welcomes_EU_Commission_President_
von_der_Leyen_on_inaugural_vist_to-Dublin.ht                     Paul Gillespie Phil Hogan’s task deepens as trade becomes
                                                                 politics. IT, 18 January 2020. https://www.irishtines.com/
European Commission Speech by President von der Leyen            opinion/phil-hogan-s-task-deepens-as-trade-becomes-
at the dinner hosted by Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach of Ireland,      politics-1.4143079
16 January 2020. https://www,ec.europa.eu/commission/
presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_20_73

Politico Leo Varadkar: On Brexit, Ireland’s ‘on Team EU’.        Further Reading
Politico, 15 January 2020. https://www.politico.eu/article/
                                                                 O Ceallaigh, Gillespie, Gilmore (eds)           Brexit Status
leo-varadkar-on-brexit-irelands-on-team-eu
                                                                 Report: 2016-2019 and Beyond. IIEA

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