Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of 11 March 2019, Official Report, column 20, by the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation on the European University Institute (EUI), what the evidential basis is for the Minister's statement that the UK cannot be a member of the EUI if it is not an EU member state.

The terms of the European University Institute Convention (EUIC) expressly refer to the contracting states of the Convention being EU Member States and limit future accession to the Convention to EU Member States. It is therefore not possible for a non-Member State to become a signatory to the Convention and participate in that capacity. Accordingly, when the UK ceases to be a Member State of the EU, it will also cease to be a party to the Convention. However, the UK will continue to be covered by the EUIC for the duration of the Implementation Period if the Withdrawal Agreement is passed.