Ahead of the deadline of the final EU-UK trade deal negotiations, the European Parliament has adopted the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The Greens/EFA Group wants the EU to build the strongest possible relationship with the UK, without sacrificing standards. The implementation of the level playing field provisions are important to prevent social, environmental and fiscal dumping.
The Greens/EFA Group calls for an increase of the European Parliament’s involvement in the implementation of the TCA and full compliance with EU data protection laws. This agreement is unprecedented and, therefore, the scrutinizing role of the Parliament should reflect this. The Greens/EFA Group believes that voting on the trade agreement is necessary to avoid an accidental no-deal.
Philippe Lamberts MEP, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group and member of the UK Coordination Group in the European Parliament, comments:
“It is up to the Commission to see that social, fiscal and environmental dumping is prevented. The UK must not become a Singapore-on-Thames; the EU should ensure that access to the Single Market for financial services is conditional on commitments from the UK on tax cooperation and the fight against money laundering. Regardless of how the UK government is trying to move its people away from Europe; we must remember that we are in one boat, we are the same people and we will move forward together as a continent.”
Speaking in the debate, Jordi Solé (Greens/EFA), President of the EFA Group in the European Parliament, said:
“For our Scottish friends the TCA might be the lesser evil to keep ties with the EU, but also a painful consequence of a decision imposed on them, a decision they did not take. For them, as well as for an increasing number in Wales, the best possible relation with the EU is not the TCA. It is the possibility of full membership in our Union. I hope they can soon re-join us once they take a democratic choice in favour of independence.”
- Text adopted: The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
- Text adopted: The outcome of EU-UK negotiations
- Co-Presidents press release
- EFA President press release
- Video – Philippe Lamberts
- Video – Jordi Solé
- Video – Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield
- Video – Terry Reintke
- Video – Grace O’Sullivan
- Video – Heidi Hautala
- Video – Anna Cavazzini
- Video – Ciarán Cuffe
- Video – Caroline Roose
- Video – Niklas Nienaß
- Video – Benoît Biteau
- Video – Rasmus Andresen
- Social media: Twitter – Greens/EFA Group
- Social media: Twitter – Terry Reintke
- Social media: Twitter – Rasmus Andresen
- Social media: Twitter – Greens/EFA Group