Skip to main content

The Timetable for Brexit - Withdrawal from the EU

It is not that long now until Brexit finally happens.  From September 2018 it is less than 3 months before the negotiations are over and 6 months until Brexit is done.  The EU Parliament has the Withdrawal Agreement vote inked in for March 11th 2019 so it is unlikely that it can be delayed past then.

On 10 July 2018, Barnier announced that 80% of the Brexit deal was now complete. The most likely outcome is some form of customs collection away from the border in Northern Ireland and a Free Trade Agreement between the UK and EU. However, those who support UK membership of the EU will try to link Brexit into EU institutions like the Single Market and ECJ, a result that will not be acceptable to the EU and will create a furore in the UK.

Update 25/02/19: This article was written in August 2018.  The Withdrawal Agreement has been approved by the EU and reviewed by the EU Parliamentary Committee but rejected by the UK Parliament.  Small changes might still be possible, such as a time limit on the Northern Ireland Protocol, but large scale changes are not really feasible.  The 12th March is inked in for the UK Parliamentary vote on an amended Withdrawal Agreement.  After 14th March there is no scheduled EU Council or EU Parliament time for any changes before the expiry of Article 50 on 29th March.

The Timetable


May/June 2018
UK Parliament passes the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. (The Bill has been passed).

October -December 2018 
End of UK-EU negotiations on withdrawal and draft agreements published: a ‘Withdrawal Agreement’ and political declaration on ‘framework for the future relationship’.  The EU Council has meetings without Agenda on 18/10/18 and 13-14/12/18, the next meeting is in March 2019. 

October – December 2018
Agreement in principle in the European Council and request for European Parliament consent. The House of Commons votes on a resolution – the ‘meaningful vote’ – on both agreements (the ‘Withdrawal Agreement’ and ‘Framework for the future relationship’). The House of Lords then votes on a motion on both agreements. European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee reports on the withdrawal agreement. The latest date for agreement in principle is probably 14/12/18 which is the date of the end of the December EU Council Meeting.

November 2018-January 2019
The Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill introduced to the House of Commons (the vote on second reading to be a de facto second ’meaningful vote’).

November 2018-January 2019
The European Parliament has demanded a minimum of 2 months to process the agreement and has elections in May 2019.  The start of January 2019 is absolutely the last date that the UK and EU Council can use to finish their approval of the Withdrawal Agreement. This is because the last moment to hold a vote would be a plenary session due March 11-14.

March 11th-14th 2019 
According to Reuters the European Parliament votes on the Withdrawal Agreement.

End March 2019
Withdrawal agreement concluded by Council acting by a super qualified majority (20 of EU27). 

March 2019
Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill passed (assuming Bill must be passed before exit to provide the necessary legal framework for transition/implementation period). Withdrawal Agreement ratified by UK in
accordance with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

29 March 2019
The UK is expected to leave the EU.

30 March 2019
Transition/implementation period begins.

December 2020
EU wants transition period to end.


See http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7960


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Falklands have always been Argentine - Las Malvinas son Argentinas

"The Falklands have always been Argentine" is taught to every Argentine child as a matter of faith.  What was Argentina during the time when it "always" possessed Las Malvinas?  In this article I will trace the history of Argentina in the context of its physical and political relationship with "Las Malvinas", the Falkland Islands.  The Argentine claim to the Falkland Islands dates from a brief episode in 1831-32 so it is like Canada claiming the USA despite two centuries of separate development. This might sound like ancient history but Argentina has gone to war for this ancient claim so the following article is well worth reading. For a summary of the legal case see: Las Malvinas: The Legal Case Argentina traces its origins to Spanish South America when it was part of the Viceroyalty of the Rio del Plata.  The Falklands lay off the Viceroyalty of Peru, controlled by the Captain General of Chile.  In 1810 the Falklands were far from the geographical b...

Do Muslim women want to wear the Burka (Burqua)?

Do all islamic women want to wear burka?  Can a woman's freedom to wear what she wants oppress other women?  Are western feminists aiding a cult that is dedicated to the destruction of feminism?  I hope to answer these questions in this article.  I would much appreciate any comments you might have if you disagree with the article, especially if you have a feminist viewpoint. Here is a description of the problems of wearing burka by a woman of Asian origin: "Of course, many veiled Muslim women argue that, far from being forced to wear burkas by ruthless husbands, they do so out of choice. And I have to take them at their word. But it is also very apparent that many women are forced behind the veil. A number of them have turned up at my door seeking refuge from their fathers, mothers, brothers and in-laws - men brain-washed by religious leaders who use physical and mental abuse to compel the girls to cover up. It started with the headscarf, then went to th...

The Roots of New Labour

This article was written in 2009 but is still useful to understand the motivation behind New Labour - from the global financial crisis through the over-regulated, surveillance society to the break up of the UK into nationalities. The past lives of Labour Ministers have long been sanitised and many biographies that include their shady communist and Marxist pasts are inaccessible or removed from the net. The truth about these guys is similar to discovering that leading Tories were members of the Nazi Party. If you are a British voter and do not think that this is important then I despair for British politics.  Had these people taken jobs in industry their past might be forgotten and forgiven but they continued in left wing politics and even today boast of being "Stalinist" or International Socialist (or in Blair's case, Trotskyist ). Peter Mandelson (first Secretary of State and Labour Supremo): "Mr Mandelson was born into a Labour family - his grandfather wa...