THE INSTITUTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF A BESPOKE AGREEMENT WITH THE UK BASED ON A “CLOSE COOPERATION” MODEL

Studie 15-05-2018

This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the AFCO Committee, considers the governance and institutional aspects of a potential agreement on the future economic relationship between the Union and the UK based on a “close cooperation” model. “Close cooperation” agreements involve a strong ambition for economic integration, based in practice upon a high degree of alignment by the third country to the relevant Union acquis. Although the UK’s circumstances may well be unique, there are few grounds to believe that the formal terms for a Union-UK “close cooperation” agreement should be radically different from the experience gained and lessons learned from comparable relationships between the Union and other third countries. The special situation of the UK would be more likely to manifest itself empirically, through the practical operation and tangible outputs of the governance and institutional structures and processes established under any “close cooperation” agreement.