The challenges faced by businesses and local communities in the first six months of 2021 since the entry into force of the EU UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the need for the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to be jointly implemented by the EU and the UK as well as the transformative impact of the EU's PEACE programme on communities were the main points discussed by members during the fourth meeting of the COR-UK Contact Group, which again included UK representatives from across UK local and regional authorities and associations.
Six months later: Assessment of EU-UK deal for LRAs
In the first thematic discussion, Seán Kelly MEP and standing rapporteur for the UK in the Parliament's Committee on International Trade said "The long-term impact on the British, European, and world economies remains to be seen, but we do have a glimpse now that we are 6 months on. Although businesses have been faced with severe difficulties and uncertainty, many are coping and discovering new potential avenues and solutions. Therefore, I believe that the Protocol, although not ideal, could work if it was given some time to breathe - it’s the politics, not the technical aspects that remain the main issue."
Martijn de Grave, Member of the Cabinet of the EC Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, spoke on the deal's implementation so far, the Commission's hope for forthcoming UK proposals and an assessment of the creative solutions found for movement of chilled meats, generic medicine, movement of livestock, but acknowledged the lack of wider progress on the Protocol's implementation.
For fishing communities, he said the impact would have been worse without the TCA. He continued that a significant part of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) is dedicated to fisheries, and subject to state aid rules, seems to be working well. The Peace Programmes will be continued on a tri-Irish, UK and EU footing.
He continued about the Erasmus programme and the likelihood for a preference amongst the British government for bilateral arrangements. In line with the phased implementation of Border Controls, as from 1 October, freight traffic from EU ports to the UK ones, the impact of Brexit will become clearer.
Michael Murphy, member of Tipperary County Council, Mayor of Clonmel Borough District and ECON Chair said "I see on a daily basis the living effects Brexit has on citizens and SMEs. Direct ferry links have greatly increased our access to other EU ports. Freight vehicle movements into Ireland from Great Britain have increased. Creative solutions have been found throughout the first six months of 2021 across day-to-day issues particularly between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The Protocol is jointly owned by the EU and UK and must be jointly implemented. The only sustainable solutions are those agreed together. Mr. Murphy asked about Border Control Posts in Northern Ireland in terms of whether they have the necessary infrastructure and resources. He also asked about the work of the Partnership Council which met for the first time on 8 June.
Ellen Nauta-Van Moorsel, Mayor of Hof van Twente spoke about the good preparatory work conducted ahead of the transition and the need of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve to take into account the local and regional level. “In the beginning of this year we faced some uncertainties with regards to the implementation of Brexit, yet the general view in The Netherlands is that we did not face major disruptions and that the transition to the new situation went relatively well. This is due to the extensive preparations of not only national governments, but also local and regional authorities, the private sector and other stakeholders. It is therefore important that the agreement on the Brexit Adjustment Reserve includes several references to local and regional authorities.”
EU's PEACE programme for Northern Ireland
In the second thematic discussion, Michael Murphy observed that EU programmes have played a huge part in directly supporting peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the border counties in Ireland, and in supporting the North South cooperation envisaged in the Good Friday Agreement. In his remarks, Murphy said "The EU North South PEACE and INTERREG programmes have already invested €3.3bn in the region. The funding itself is vitally important, but so too is the ongoing commitment and interest of the EU in supporting the region as it builds a better future. I was very interested to hear today's update on the development of the forthcoming PEACE PLUS programme. It is an exciting and ambitious programme and will have a transformative impact on communities and enterprises."
Study on consequences of Brexit
During the meeting, members were also presented with the preliminary results of a study on 'Restoring lost connections between the EU and the UK as a consequence of Brexit through local and regional authorities'. Researcher Jan Hagemejer outlined key policy areas affected by Brexit and the impact on local and regional authorities. Cross-border and integrated cooperation has been impacted though loss of main source of funding. Movement of people had also been impacted and this was causing pressure on the local economy. Research experienced disruption in synergies while student exchanges had gone down due to lack of a common exchange framework such as Erasmus. Areas in which cooperation can be developed include student and professional exchanges, research and innovation and climate action.
The full study is to be published later in the Summer.