Brexit & Beyond newsletter
14 October 2024
Welcome to the 14 October 2024 Brexit & Beyond newsletter
Last week the Assembly was given an update on the British-Irish Council housing work sector ministerial meeting and debated the single farm payment. Today, the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will bring a Prayer of Annulment for the Hops Certification (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024.
The second reading of Product Regulation and Metrology Bill took place in the House of Lords. The Lords also debated bilateral relations between the UK and Europe, particularly on issues of culture, diplomacy and security.
On Friday, the Prime Minister chaired the inaugural meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions in Edinburgh. He also held a bilateral meeting with the First Minister and deputy First Minister.
The Foreign Secretary David Lammy is attending the EU's Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg today.
Sandro Gozi has been elected the new chair of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly with Klára Dobrev, as first Vice-Chair and Mika Aaltola, as second Vice-Chair.
Northern Ireland Assembly
British-Irish Council housing work sector
Last Monday at the Assembly, the Minister for Communities made a statement to Chamber on the British-Irish Council housing work sector ministerial meeting on 20 September, which he chaired. Aisling Reilly MLA, junior Minister in the Executive Office, also represented the Executive at the meeting. Minister Lyons reported that the meeting "focused on the housing work sector's programme of work carried out since 2021 as well as the forward work plan that will cover the period from now until 2026."
Minister Lyons told Members the meeting included a discussion of the challenges and opportunities of improving housing supply. Furthermore, he highlighted common areas of concern for member Administrations including, “demanding targets for achieving net zero and preparing for a switch away from carbon-based fuel sources that are used to heat homes and water” as well as “the increased use of homelessness services and temporary accommodation”.
Single farm payment
Later that day, the Assembly resolved a motion brought by Sinn Féin that the single farm payment under the EU common agricultural policy (CAP) was critical to supporting farms to be financially viable and more environmentally sustainable and led to “significant investment in rural communities and businesses, and the wider economy”. The motion called on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to push the UK Government to set out what replacement funds will be put in place.
Two amendments were made. Patsy McGlone MLA, moving amendment 1 told the Assembly: "There were two pillars to the EU common agricultural policy, and both of them, as we well know, played an important part in supporting rural communities and the rural economy... However, after Brexit, the British Government did not properly replace the pillar 2 [rural development] funding stream, as many of us know. As a result, we have lost access to nearly £100 million of funding that should have been invested in our rural communities."
Mr McGlone said funding must be inflation-proofed in real terms and guaranteed for at least 10 years to “restore the certainty that accompanied the EU funding.”
Michelle McIlveen MLA moved amendment 2 that set out the “call for increased ring-fenced, inflation-proofed and multi-annual farm support and a development budget to support” the agricultural sector. She argued that “[s]afeguarding direct farm support needs to be central to government policy on promoting food production and food security.”
The Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs responded by telling the Chamber he has written to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affair and “stressed to him that any future settlement should, as an absolute minimum, maintain the current Budget allocation, uplifted for inflation, to allow for delivery of my Department's policy objectives and ambitions.” Minister Muir told Members he also discussed the issue at the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as raising it with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs speaking during the debate on the Single Farm payment
Furthermore, the Minister’s department is engaging with the Department of Finance on raising these issues with the Treasury as part of broader budgetary processes.
Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee
On Thursday, the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee received legal advice and heard oral departmental evidence on Regulation (EU) 2022/2516 on the digital labelling of EU fertilising products. The Committee decided not to conduct an inquiry into the EU act.
The Committee is continuing to gather evidence in relation to a proposed new EU act: COM 2023/769 Proposed EU Regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability. It is seeking the views of stakeholders via Citizen Space. You can share your views here.
Westminster
Product Regulation and Metrology Bill
The second reading of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill took place on 8 October. Lord Leong who moved the Bill told the Lords:
Lord Sandhurst highlighted this is a framework Bill and asked if the Government will undertake to publish substantive regulations in draft and consult on them before they are laid. He said: “These Benches are also concerned that the lack of clarity in these measures will allow Ministers to align with European Union standards without proper parliamentary scrutiny.” He concluded, “this is a poor way to approach legislation: rushing the Bill without responding to the consultation, without us knowing the Government’s view, is inappropriate and discourteous to the many respondents who have put a great deal of thought into their submissions. This is more worrying in the light of the wide-ranging powers to be granted to Ministers without sufficient clarity on what the Government intend.”
After debate, the motion was agreed to and the bill was committed to a Grand Committee.
The Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee holds a rare public oral evidence session on the Bill on Wednesday, examining the Bill and the powers it confers on Ministers to align with EU rules.
Horizon Europe
On Tuesday, Lord Vallance of Balham, the Minister of State, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, informed the Lords that the government has early indications that UK applications have increased in 2024 following Horizon Europe association in January.
Horizon Europe, the EU’s funding programme for research and innovation, can cover visa costs, for both the fast-track visas and others. Regarding Horizon pillar 2 [global challenges and competitiveness] funding, the Minister told the House the SME sector is underrepresented, and there is a specific effort to increase its ability to engage and to raise awareness within it.
UK- EU relations
The Lords debated bilateral relations between the UK and Europe, particularly on issues of culture, diplomacy and security on Thursday. Baroness Smith of Newnham (Liberal Democrats), professor of European politics at the University of Cambridge, put forward the debate, quoting Sandro Gozi, the new chair of the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly and suggested a stronger partnership is essential. She raised the issue of youth mobility and said:
“One of the key aspects of closer co-operation must surely be understanding among people, particularly the younger generations. Will the government think again about youth mobility, as the leader of the Liberal Democrats asked the Prime Minister yesterday in the other place?”
Baroness Goldie of the Conservatives said: "We should seek strong bilateral relationships with individual European states—we have many of these already—and we should seek an engaged but vigilant approach to the EU."
Lord Coaker, Minister of State for diplomacy and international relations at the Ministry of Defence, addresses the House of Lords
Lord Coaker, Minister of State for diplomacy and international relations at the Ministry of Defence, responded on behalf of the government:
“We will work to reset the relationship with our European friends, to strengthen ties, to secure a broad-based security pact and to tackle barriers to trade. We will build stronger and wider co-operation in a whole range of areas.”
Council of the Nations and Regions
On Friday, the Prime Minister chaired the inaugural meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions in Edinburgh. First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly attended alongside leaders of the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, as well as England’s mayors.
The theme of the inaugural meeting was ‘Economic Growth and Inward Investment’, and the First Minister and deputy First Minister highlighted why Northern Ireland is an attractive investment opportunity and discussed how best to grow the economy here.
The Prime Minister with Leaders of the devolved governments and England’s mayors at the Council of the Nations and Regions in Edinburgh.
European Affairs
UK-EU relations
The Foreign Secretary David Lammy is attending the EU's Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg today, as part of Labour's "reset" with Europe. The Foreign Secretary travelled to the meeting as a special guest of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell. The FCDO says meeting "with all 27 EU Foreign Ministers, the talks will focus on the main challenges facing European security. This will include discussions on how the UK and EU can work together to tackle continued Russian aggression and interference across the continent, as well as the escalating crisis in the Middle East, including the ongoing threat posed by Iran."
Last Friday, Nick Thomas-Symonds, UK Minister for European Union Relations, met with Pedro Serrano, EU Ambassador to the UK.
EU Parliament
The constitutive meeting of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (EU-UK PPA) took place on Thursday, 3 October 2024, in Brussels. During the meeting, the Members of the Delegation elected Sandro Gozi (RENEW, France) as the new Chair, and Klára Dobrev (S&D, Hungary), as first Vice-Chair and Mika Aaltola (EPP, Finland), as second Vice-Chair.
Klára Dobrev, first Vice-Chair, Sandro Gozi, Chair and Mik Aaltola, second Vice-Chair of the European Parliment's Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly
In his first interview since being elected chair, Sandro Gozi said there was potential for a reset with the Starmer government, which had shown “a change in attitude”.
“There is a possibility to enter into a new phase in our bilateral relationship,” said Gozi, a member of France’s Democratic Movement party, which is allied with President Emmanuel Macron’s MEPs.
The UK delegation to the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly has not yet been appointed but can be expected once membership of select committees at the House of Commons is finalised.
EU Commission
On Thursday, the Conference of Presidents (CoP), made up of group leaders and the European Parliament president, confirmed the timetable for the confirmation hearings of candidates for the new European Commission. This will begin on 4 November.
The European Parliament invites Commissioners-designate to appear before the appropriate committees for hearings in order to scrutinise if they are suitable for the posts they have been assigned to. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said:
Maroš Šefčovič, the Commissioner whose portfolio will include EU-UK relations, will be first, with other commissioners following suit over a four-day period. The confirmation hearing for Irish nominee Michael McGrath, the proposed Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law, will be held on 5 November. The European Parliament has published a timeline for the various hearings.
All candidates for executive vice-president (EVP) positions will be heard last, in a single day on 12 November. Euractiv reports that political tension over the confirmation process appears to be building, with lawmakers from the Greens and the Left groups walking out of a meeting of the Parliament’s legal affairs committee (JURI), in protest at the committee’s process for vetting the commissioners-designate for conflicts of interest.
After the hearings have been concluded, Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen will present the full College of Commissioners and its programme in plenary. The full Commission needs the consent of Parliament (by a majority of the votes cast, by roll-call).
Once elected by Parliament, the Commission is formally appointed by the European Council, acting by a qualified majority.
Other news
- Today at the Assembly, the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will bring a Prayer of Annulment for the Hops Certification (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024. The Regulations concern continuing alignment for NI with EU rules in relation to certification of hops. There are no hops producers in NI.
- Euractiv reports that a new out-of-court body certified by Irish authorities to settle disputes related to the Digital Services Act (DSA) has received $15 million (€13.7 million) in a "one time, non-returnable, non-renewable" grant from Meta's Oversight Board Trust.
- The Guardian reports that Liberties, an EU-wide network of civil liberties organisations, has found that the EU’s executive paints “too rosy a picture” of its annual audit of democratic standards across the bloc. It suggests the audit is ultimately ineffective because it is not tied to any kind of enforcement mechanism.
