The Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee today granted the Romanian presidency a mandate to negotiate with the European Parliament on a temporary extension of the validity of certain authorisations, certificates and licences to ensure continuity of train services between the EU (France and Ireland) and the United Kingdom without disruption in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a negotiated agreement. The aim of this extension is to allow bilateral agreements between an EU member state and the UK to be concluded and any other measures to be taken to avoid disruption, taking into account the status of the UK as a non-EU country. These measures are conditional on identical standards, requirements and procedures being applied to cross-border rail connectivity by the UK.
The relevant regulation will be applicable the day after the EU treaties cease to apply to the UK unless a withdrawal agreement concluded with the UK has entered into force by that date.
The final text will need to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council in good time before the withdrawal date. Before amendments to the original Commission proposal are presented to the European Parliament for the vote, the co-legislators will hold an informal meeting for exploratory talks to facilitate agreement.