Preparing for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 30 March 2019: implementing the Commission’s Contingency Action Plan

Summary:

Communication presented on 19 December 2018 by the European Commission setting out its Contingency Action Plan in preparation for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

Further information:

The United Kingdom has decided to leave the European Union, invoking the procedure in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. Unless the decision is withdrawn or the period is unanimously extended, this will become effective on 30 March 2019. Irrespective of the scenario envisaged, the United Kingdom's choice will cause significant disruption. The Commission has therefore consistently called on European citizens, businesses and Member States to prepare for all possible scenarios, assess relevant risks and plan their response to mitigate them.

On 14 November 2018, the negotiators of the Commission and the United Kingdom agreed on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement. The European Council (Article 50) of 25 November endorsed the Agreement and invited the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Agreement can enter into force on 30 March 2019 to provide for an orderly withdrawal.

Given the continued uncertainty in the UK surrounding the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Commission has started implementing its Brexit Contingency Action Plan. This delivers on its commitment to adopt all necessary “no deal” proposals by the end of the year, as outlined in its Communication of 13 November. The contingency measures announced in the Action Plan are unilateral measures for damage limitation and can only mitigate the most severe consequences of a withdrawal without an agreement.

The European Council (Article 50) of 13 December called for work on preparedness for the consequences of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal to be intensified at all levels and for all possible outcomes. This Communication explains the measures that the Commission has adopted in response to that call, together with other crucial steps in the implementation of its Contingency Action Plan.

• Primary Source

Official

European Commission: Press Release, 19/12/2018: Brexit: European Commission implements "no-deal" Contingency Action Plan in specific sectors http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-6851_en.htm

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ESO Records

Political turmoil in the United Kingdom following the conclusion of withdrawal agreement and political declaration on post-Brexit relationship https://www.europeansources.info/record/political-turmoil-in-the-united-kingdom-following-the-conclusion-of-draft-withdrawal-agreement/

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