Select committee: European Affairs Committee
Recommendation 12
4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship
Published 29 Apr 2023
Paragraph 64
European Affairs Committee The future UK-EU relationship All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We consider it important that the UK’s devolved administrations are able to contribute effectively to the institutional structures for UK-EU relations. To help facilitate this, we recommend that relevant Interministerial Groups should be convened routinely in advance of meetings of the UK-EU institutions, to enable the devolved governments to feed in their views. We also recommend that Ministers and officials from the devolved administrations should continue to be invited to participate as members of the UK delegation at meetings of the institutions where matters within devolved competence are on the agenda.
From: European Affairs Committee, 4th Report - The future UK-EU relationship, paragraph 64, 29 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 June 2023 (deadline 29 June 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with the Committee on the importance of regular UK-EU dialogue and cooperation, while declining or only noting several recommendations on institutional reform, defence, education and mobility.
- On Horizon Europe, it is in discussions and hopes they "will be successful", but says participation "must" be "fair for UK researchers, businesses and taxpayers"; it will implement its alternative, Pioneer, "if we are not able to secure association on fair and appropriate terms".
- On the Partnership Council meeting at least twice a year, it notes the TCA says 'at least once a year' and is "open to it meeting more often where business requires it".
- On education, it says it is "not exploring" adding a reciprocal element to the Turing Scheme, and "does not intend to negotiate resuming participation in any aspect of Erasmus+", citing value for money and the taxpayer.
- On linking emissions trading schemes, it "partially agrees"; "no decision on linking has been made" but it remains "open to cooperating with the EU on carbon pricing".