Jeremy Miles MS, Counsel General and Minister for European Transition
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
On Thursday 3 December, Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) met for the fifth time this year. The meeting was held virtually and the communique can be found at:
The first item on the agenda was an update on the EU negotiations. This gave me the opportunity to re-iterate our call for the UK Government to redouble its efforts to secure a comprehensive trade deal and our disappointment that the Devolved Governments have not had the meaningful involvement in these negotiations we had the right to expect. I also pressed the UK Government to share a draft of any legislation that would be needed to bring a Treaty into effect with the Devolved Governments at the earliest opportunity.
There followed an update on preparedness matters when I pressed for further assurance on matters such as the supply of critical goods, the prospect of a data adequacy agreement and macro-economic measures needed, if no agreement were to be reached
The third item on the agenda concerned the on-going work around the Intergovernmental Relations Review (IGRR) and the Common Frameworks (CF) programme. I reiterated the Welsh Government’s wholehearted commitment to this work and an intensification of the effort to finalise the IGRR was agreed.
I also re-emphasised the damaging impact on the Common Frameworks of the UK Internal Market Bill, which is before Parliament and urged the UK Government to take very seriously the significant amendments that had been made in the House of Lords to the Bill. I also flagged our concerns on a number of specific Frameworks, including those on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ), Services, and the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Finally, I stressed the importance of JMC (EN) continuing to meet until the conclusion of the IGRR. It is likely that JMC(EN) will convene again before Christmas and I will keep Members informed on these developments.