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Joint statement: Third country investors urge Brexit progress at June EU Council Summit
25 Jun 2018
Ahead of the European Council summit taking place from 28-29 June 2018, international businesses who are heavily invested in both the EU and the UK are calling for urgent progress on the key outstanding issues remaining in the talks.
Resolving as many of the remaining concerns as possible is becoming more urgent by the day – with the clock ticking towards the October deadline for a final Withdrawal Agreement.
Businesses recognise the complexity of issues surrounding the future of the Irish border and that satisfactorily resolving these political concerns may take more time. The EU and the UK should continue their efforts to achieve agreement here. Meanwhile, policymakers should dedicate time and thought at the upcoming summit to addressing other remaining issues, including those involving governance, regulatory cooperation and post-Brexit preparedness.
Reaching agreement on these issues will provide businesses with more confidence that a Withdrawal Agreement can be agreed and ratified, thereby providing legal certainty for the proposed transition period and avoiding the worst-case ‘cliff-edge’ scenario in March 2019. It will also allow both parties to move towards more detailed discussions on the future framework, which is of essential importance to companies who are planning their long-term operations and investments.
We look forward to the UK government’s upcoming White Paper on its vision for future ties and to engaging constructively with both sides towards the ultimate goal of an ambitious new EU-UK relationship which works for businesses, consumers and citizens.