Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Council’s announcement that the UK will not be allowed to participate in EU institutions, agencies or bodies after Brexit; and, in particular, what assessment they have made of the consequences for regulation of (1) medicines, (2) airlines, and (3) data.

Draft EU guidelines for the negotiation of the future framework have been circulated to the EU27 for comment. We expect final guidelines to be formally adopted at the March European Council, and we hope they will provide the flexibility to allow the EU to think creatively about our future economic partnership

As the Prime Minister said in her speech in Mansion House on 2 March 2018, we will want to explore with the EU the terms on which we could remain part of EU agencies such as those that are critical for the chemicals, medicines and aerospace industries: the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). As the Prime Minister said in Munich in respect of data protection, we envisage an ongoing role for the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office.

There are other agencies, such as those related to our future security partnership, that the UK may seek to remain a part of. Where there is a demonstrable national interest in pursuing a continued relationship with an agency or other EU body the Government will carefully examine whether we should pursue this. Our future relationship with the EU's agencies will ultimately be a matter for the negotiations.