Scrutiny of any EU-UK deal is a democratic responsibility, says European Parliament

The Chair of Parliament’s UK Coordination Group, David McAllister (EPP, DE) made the following statement after Wednesday’s briefing with the chief EU negotiator.

“Today, we met Michel Barnier and noted with deep concern that the list of fundamental divergences remains long. While the EU chief negotiator clearly stated that the EU wants to conclude an agreement, Parliament underlines that we will not give up its position on key issues in the area of level playing field, governance and fisheries. The EU needs to protect its long-term political interests.

As negotiations enter their final stage, we want to point out that giving the European Parliament sufficient time to scrutinize any agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom before giving its consent is of utmost importance. This is not merely a procedural matter, but, above all, a democratic responsibility.

We are well aware that the negotiations have reached a critical juncture. A completion of a deal clearly requires additional time. We will take our democratic responsibility seriously.

We have been in permanent contact with Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier and his team, as well as with our Council counterparts. We are all keenly aware that completing a consent procedure requires time, and would like to urge all parties to allow for a thorough democratic scrutiny of the future agreement.”