Council Decision (EU) 2021/689 of 29 April 2021 on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, and of the Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning security procedures for exchanging and protecting classified information

What it is

to conclude the EU/Euratom/United Kingdom Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the EU/United Kingdom Agreement on security procedures for exchanging and protecting classified information. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act. BACKGROUND: on 30 January 2020, following the approval of the European Parliament, the Council adopted Decision (EU) 2020/135 on the conclusion of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community. The withdrawal agreement entered into force on 1 February 2020 and provides for a transitional period during which Union law applies to the United Kingdom and on its territory in accordance with the agreement. This period will end on 31 December 2020. On 25 February 2020, the Council adopted Decision (EU, Euratom) 2020/266 authorising the opening of negotiations with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on a new partnership agreement. The Commission was appointed as the Union's negotiator. The European Parliament adopted by 660 votes, to 5 with 32 abstentions, a European Parliament legislative resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, and of the Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning security procedures for exchanging and protecting classified information. Following the recommendation of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the International Trade Committee, Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of the agreement. On 24 December 2020, EU and UK negotiators concluded the Trade and Cooperation Agreement setting out the terms of future EU-UK cooperation. The agreement sets out the rules for the future relationship between the EU and the UK. Parliament adopted a parallel resolution on the outcome of the EU-UK negotiations.

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