Leaving Europe: clear road ahead?

Scottish Secretary David Mundell hosted an EU exit roundtable in Edinburgh on Thursday, where he gave an update on the UK Government’s proposals for exiting the European Union. He hailed the government’s ‘ambitious and comprehensive’ plan but the Scottish Government says the plan ‘falls short’ and will damage Scotland’s economy.

On the day the UK Government published The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, Mr Mundell met with leading figures from Scotland’s business, energy, fishing, farming, food and drink and financial services sectors. He set out how these proposals will bring significant benefits to Scotland and the whole of the UK. He listened closely to the views of those round the table.

Mr Mundell said: “We have an ambitious and comprehensive plan which respects what the UK Government has heard from businesses about how they want to trade after Brexit.

“Our proposals will ensure that Scotland – and the rest of the UK – is best placed to capitalise on the opportunities of Brexit.

“It is  a plan which is good for jobs and prosperity and for the safety and security of people here and in Europe. We will take back control of our borders, our money and our laws, but do so in a way that protects jobs, allows us to strike new trade deals through an independent trade policy and keeps our people safe and our Union together.

“It was very useful to discuss our proposals with Scottish businesses and hear their views.”

The proposals, agreed at last week’s Chequers meeting, include:

• A UK-EU free trade area that will avoid the need for customs and regulatory checks at the border. The friction-free movement of goods is the only way to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
• A new business-friendly customs model—a facilitated customs arrangement—that would remove the need for customs checks and controls between the UK and the EU. Crucially, it would also allow the UK to pursue an independent trade policy. The UK would apply the UK’s tariffs and trade policy for goods intended for the UK and the EU’s tariffs and trade policy for goods intended for the EU.
• The UK will have its own independent trade policy, with its own seat at the World Trade Organisation and the ability to set tariffs for its trade with the rest of the world.
• A far-reaching security partnership that will ensure continued close co-operation with allies across Europe while enabling the UK Government to operate an independent foreign and defence policy.

The UK Government plans to accelerate negotiations over the summer, securing a new relationship in the autumn, passing the withdrawal and implementation Bill and leaving the European Union on 29 March 2019.

So that’s Brexit sorted then? Plain sailing and full steam ahead for an orderly exit? No chance, says the Scottish Government, who say the latest Plain leaves many questions unanswered.

Commenting on the publication of the UK Government’s White Paper on the future relationship between the UK and the European Union, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said: “This paper, published more than two years after the Brexit referendum and only a few months from the end of the negotiating period, offers little reassurance for those worried about the impact that leaving the EU will have on our economy. Quite simply, these plans fall short and will harm our economy.

“As with the Chequers agreement, there is some evidence that the UK Government now realises the damage of leaving the EU, as well as the benefits that being in the EU, the Single Market and Custom Union has brought to the whole of the UK. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go before those risks are mitigated.

“The Scottish Government has been consistently clear that the best way to protect Scotland’s interests and foster future growth – short of full EU membership which the people of Scotland voted for – is continued membership of the European Single Market and Customs Union.

“While the paper provides an indication that the UK wants to participate in pan-EU programmes in areas such as science and research, there continue to be too many unknowns on issues such as whether the UK’s proposals can deliver continued use of the European Arrest Warrant and what they mean for the future migration of people. The UK Government has fallen short on employment rights and environmental protections and, instead of committing to matching EU standards, they are only promising not to fall behind the current position.

“There is still an opportunity in these final few months of negotiations to encourage the UK to adopt the only sensible position of remaining within the Single Market and the Custom Union and to put a stop to some of the damage that Brexit will do. The Scottish Government will continue to make that case and to argue for much greater engagement with the UK Government to ensure Scotland’s interests are protected.”