Brexit and Wales’ relationship with Europe will be top of the agenda when politicians from across the continent meet.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford will also attend the talks with more than 20 local and regional representatives from Scotland, France, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands at a conference titled ‘European co-operation beyond Brexit’.
The Welsh Government is organising the event at City Hall with the Conference for Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), a European network which has members from 160 regions from across the EU and beyond.
At the event the First Minister and European regional leaders will formally sign the ‘Cardiff Declaration’ which calls for continued strong relationships and co-operation between the UK and nations and regions across Europe post-Brexit.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said:
“Bringing together representatives from across the regions of Europe and signing the ‘Cardiff Declaration’ demonstrates our intention to collaborate with our European partners. Wales remains open, outward facing and international in outlook and Brexit will not change that.
“While we have been consistently clear that we are not trying to undo Brexit, we have a range of shared interests, from trade to protecting the rights of UK and EU citizens, which must be prioritised in the negotiations.
“This event and our joint declaration demonstrate that while Brexit has an impact on all European countries and regions, it must not become a stumbling block to our established strong relations that benefit us all.”