Brexit: EU-UK, negotiations starting next week. Von der Leyen, “ambitious partnership in the best interest of citizens”

(Brussels) The European Commission “welcomes the Council’s decision today to authorise the opening of the future partnership negotiations with the UK”. Formal negotiations to establish the post-Brexit relations with the UK will begin the week of 2 March. “The negotiating directives adopted today are based on the draft recommendation put forward by the Commission on 3 February 2020. They fully respect existing European Council guidelines and conclusions - the Commission explained -, as well as the Political Declaration agreed between the EU and the United Kingdom in October 2019”. The comprehensive negotiating directives “define the scope and terms of the future partnership that the European Union envisages with the United Kingdom. These directives cover all areas of interest for the negotiations, including trade and economic cooperation, law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, foreign policy, security and defence, participation in Union programmes and other thematic areas of cooperation”. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated: “We are now ready to start negotiations with the United Kingdom. We want to build a close, ambitious future partnership, as this is in the best interest of people on both sides of the Channel. I would like to thank the European Parliament and all Member States for their continued trust in our negotiating team. We will work as hard as we can to achieve the best possible result”.
Valentina Bombelli