Eleventh Meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee

Statement

My Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (James Cleverly), has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

The Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee met on 3 July 2023, in Brussels with delegates attending in person and by video conference. The meeting was co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the Rt Hon James Cleverly MP and European Commission Vice President, Maroš Šefčovič. A Joint Statement was agreed.

The Committee welcomed progress on the implementation of the Windsor Framework and adopted new arrangements that embed the joint solutions found by the UK and EU, which are critical for businesses and people in Northern Ireland.

Both sides agreed to continue working expeditiously to deliver the Framework and to maximise the potential of the relationship between the UK and the EU, as exemplified with the recently agreed Memorandum of Understanding on financial services.

The Committee addressed other important issues including the rights of UK nationals in the EU and EU citizens in the UK. Both sides recognise the important contribution these citizens make to the UK and EU, and remain committed to upholding their rights

The Committee also received an update on the work of the Withdrawal Agreement Specialised Committees since the last meeting on 24 March 2023 and adopted the Withdrawal Agreement Annual Report for the year 2022, pursuant to Article 164(6) of the Withdrawal Agreement.

The Committee adopted two Decisions:

• on adding two newly adopted Union acts on sanitary and phytosanitary measures (agri-foods) and medicines to Annex 2 to the Framework.
• on amending Part I of Annex I of the Agreement, by amending the list of recommendations and decisions by adding two decisions of the Administrative Commission for the Coordination of Social Security Systems which are not listed in Part I of Annex I of the Agreement and by removing three decisions which have been replaced by the two new decisions.