Decision (EU) 2020/1531 empowering France to negotiate, sign and conclude an international agreement supplementing the Treaty between France and the United Kingdom concerning the Construction and Operation by Private Concessionaires of a Channel Fixed Link

Summary:

Decision (EU) 2020/1531 - adopted by the co-legislators on 21 October 2020 - aimed at ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the Channel Tunnel railway connection (Channel Fixed Link) between continental Europe and the United Kingdom (UK) after the end of the Brexit transition period.

Further information:

The Treaty between France and the United Kingdom concerning the construction and operation by private stakeholders of a Channel Fixed Link - Treaty of Canterbury, signed in 1986 - established an Intergovernmental Commission to supervise all matters concerning the construction and operation of that Link. In July 2020, the French authorities informed the European Commission that it would like to negotiate an agreement supplementing the Treaty of Canterbury.

The aim of this proposal is to empower France to negotiate an international agreement with the United Kingdom to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the Channel Fixed Link by retaining a single safety authority responsible for the whole of this infrastructure, and to lay down the specific requirements that the proposed agreement must comply with, such as the obligation for the Intergovernmental Commission to apply Union rules on railway safety and interoperability.

The European Commission tabled the proposal on 27 July 2020. The European Parliament adopted this proposal on 8 October, followed by the Council of the European Union on 14 October. It was formally signed on 21 October 2020 and published in the Official Journal on the following day.

• Primary Source

News

The Guardian, 30/07/2020: Brexit: Boris Johnson faces Eurotunnel test https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/30/brexit-european-court-row-puts-eurotunnel-operations-at-risk

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Official

EUR-Lex: COM(2020)622: Proposal for a Decision empowering France to negotiate an agreement supplementing its existing bilateral Treaty with the United Kingdom concerning the construction and operation by private concessionaires of a Channel Fixed Link https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2020:622:FIN

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 09/09/2020: EU-UK relations: Coreper agrees mandate on Channel tunnel railway safety https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/09/09/eu-uk-relations-coreper-agrees-mandate-on-channel-tunnel-railway-safety/

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 14/10/2020: EU-UK relations: Council adopts Channel Tunnel railway safety measures https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/10/14/eu-uk-relations-council-adopts-channel-tunnel-railway-safety-measures/

French Embassy in London: Newsroom, 14/10/2020: EU adopts Channel Tunnel railway safety measures https://uk.ambafrance.org/EU-adopts-Channel-Tunnel-railway-safety-measures

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