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Brexit Round Up

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Brexit Round Up This report will collate all key activity from the last week in Westminster, Whitehall, the European Commission, European Parliament and leading stakeholders as it relates to the energy sector and Brexit. TABLE OF CONTENT EU: Brexit task force takes shape EU: Junker makes State of the Union speech EU: EP President says “no negotiation without notification” UK: Chairman of Global Warming Policy Foundation gives evidence to peers UK: Written answer on impact of Brexit on renewables sector UK: Opportunities for UK energy market raised in House of Commons UK: Chancellor holds round table with business UK: Scottish Government hold summit with energy sector UK: Government response to report on EU/UK environmental policy UK: MP blog on impact of Brexit on the environment UK: Speech: UK-India partnership is strong in the energy sector UK: International Trade secretary speech in Dubai EU: Brexit’s impact on EU budget EU: Leaders reflect on future of union EU: Central European countries threaten to veto Brexit deal Lookahead – September/October October Members Area by using: EU: Brexit task force takes shape On September 14, the European Commission confirmed its decision to set up a Task Force for the preparation and conduct of the Brexit negotiations under Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union. Former French Commissioner Michel Barnier, appointed as the Commission’s Chief Negotiator on Brexit in July, will lead this Task Force which will be responsible for coordinating all strategic, operational, legal and financial issues related to the negotiations. In setting up the Task Force, the Commission also appointed Sabine Weyand, currently Deputy Director-General in the Commission's Trade Department (DG Trade), as Deputy Chief Negotiator. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “This new Task Force will be composed of the Commission's best and brightest. They will help Michel Barnier to conduct the negotiations with the United Kingdom effectively, benefiting from the deep knowledge and rich experience available across the whole Commission. Together, Michel and his team will live up to this new challenge and help us to develop a new partnership with the United Kingdom after it will have left the European Union.” Although little is known about what concrete preparations the Commission has undertaken, Barnier has said that he expects the talks with the UK to be “tough”. Speaking to the French newspaper Ouest France, he expressed the view that the outcome of the UK referendum was a result of the EU’s “ultra- liberal drift,” whereby its citizens “feel they are not listened to.” Europe must therefore “prove again its added value for citizens,” he claimed. Reports suggest that Barnier is planning to make a tour of EU capitals after he officially assumes his new role on October 1, in order to weigh up what Member States expect from the negotiations. In addition to the Commission Task Force, the Council of the EU has set up its own Task Force for the negotiations with the UK, headed by Belgian diplomat Didier Seeuws. It is not yet clear, however, what the balance of responsibilities between both teams will be. EU: Brexit task force takes shape EU: Brexit task force takes shape it task force takes shape EU: Brexit task force takes shape EU: Junker makes State of the Union speech On September 14, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker gave his annual State of the Union speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. His speech made only a passing reference to the issue of the UK’s pending withdrawal from the EU – he acknowledged the country’s decision to leave and hoped that the British Government would trigger Article 50 as soon as possible. The issue was touched upon in the following debate by Belgian liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who was appointed on September 8 as the Parliament’s lead Brexit negotiator. The MEP argued that Brexit should be seen as an “opportunity” and that, while the British Government wants to make it a success for the UK, the EU also has a duty to make it a success for Europe. His comments came after being labelled a “fanatic” by British MEP Nigel Farage. Also during the debate, Italian MEP Gianni Pittella, President of the Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats Group, expressed frustration with the delay in starting the Brexit negotiations, claiming that the British Prime Minister was holding the EU hostage. British MEP Syed Kamall, who leads the Parliament’s Conservative and Reformists Group, said that the result of the UK referendum should serve as a warning to other Member States about citizens’ growing discontent with European integration. Their legitimate concerns should not be dismissed, he warned. Following his address at the European Parliament, President Juncker also spoke about Brexit during his speech at the University of Zürich on September 19, marking the 70th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s ‘Europe speech’. He said: “We are now preparing for negotiations with our British friends, when our British friends get around to asking to leave. It is a source of considerable surprise to us that no such request has yet reached Brussels.” Regardless, he stressed that the EU is “not at war” with the UK and hoped to reach a “fair deal” with the country. EU: Junker makes State of the Union speech Members Area by using: EU: EP President says “no negotiation without notification” On September 22, the European Parliament President Martin Schulz met with UK Prime Minister Theresa May and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to discuss the future of UK-EU relations. Also, today – September 23 – he will hold a meeting with the leader of the UK Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn and deliver a speech at the London School of Economics on ‘The EU and Britain: parting ways but working together’. Speaking to the Parliament Magazine website ahead of his visit, Schulz explained that the purpose of the visit was to “get a pulse from the British authorities on the state of affairs on Brexit and EU-UK relations” and that he would “reiterate the principle of no negotiation without notification.” Moreover, he expressed the hope that Article 50 would be triggered as early as possible in order to “limit uncertainty.” UK: Speech by Prime Minister to the UN General Assembly This week, the Prime Minister declared the UK's commitment as a confident and dependable partner in her first address to the UN General Assembly. Theresa May said the UK would not "walk away from our partners in the world" and warned that people felt left behind by the "increasing pace of globalisation". May also held a series of face-to-face meetings with other leaders and take part in a summit on refugees called by US president Barack Obama. EU: Junker makes State of the Union speech Members Area by using: UK: Chairman of Global Warming Policy Foundation gives evidence to peers Lord Lawson has given evidence to the Economic Affairs Committee for its inquiry into 'The Economics of UK Energy Policy '. Lord Lawson appears in his role as Chairman of the Global Warming Policy Foundation and gave evidence alongside Lord Turner of Ecchinswell, Chairman of the Institute for New Economic Thinking's Governing. Questions asked included “Does the UK Government have a clear energy strategy at the moment?” and “what impact will Brexit have on UK energy policy”. The Committee isexploring the present mix of policy interventions and subsidies in the energy market. The core question which it is seeking to answer is: "What are the failures, if any, in the energy market and what measures are needed to correct them?". The deadline for written evidence is September 30 2016. UK: Written answer on impact of Brexit on renewables sector Members Area by using: Former leader of the SDLP and Northern Ireland MP Margaret Ritchie asked the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy “what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the renewables industry in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the UK.” She was issued a formal response this week with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Jesse Norman replying: “We remain committed to making Britain the best place in Europe to own and grow a business. That includes supporting those businesses that trade with the EU and the wider international markets, as well as continuing to encourage record foreign direct investment which supports business and communities up and down the country. “Through our industrial strategy we will continue to put power in the hands of local communities to drive economic growth working in partnership with local business and civic leaders – to deliver an economy that works for all.” UK: Opportunities for UK energy market raised in House of Commons The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy held oral questions in the House of Commons this week. During exchanges, Conservative MP Peter Aldous (Waveney) suggested Brexit provided the UK with an opportunity to be the global leader in such energy technologies as offshore wind, energy storage, and carbon capture and storage. He asked: “Can the Secretary of State confirm that the Government will reset energy policy so that the country can take full advantage of this great opportunity?” In response, Secretary of State Greg Clark replied: “My hon. Friend is right that one of the historic strengths of the United Kingdom is in areas such as marine engineering and power engineering, which are at the heart of the opportunities that exist around the world as many countries look to develop their capacity in renewable energy. That provides a big opportunity, especially for his constituents.” UK: Chancellor holds round table with business The Chancellor Philip Hammond has this week met with British businesses from all over the country to listen to their views ahead of his first Autumn Statement.
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