Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether free movement of people and capital would apply to all applicant countries to the EU should they become member states.

Free Movement of People and Capital are covered under the EU acquis, (primarily in Chapters 2 and 4), as part of the accession process of any new Member State. However Article 49 of the Treaty on EU makes clear that the EU and the applicant state will agree the conditions of admission and any adjustment to the treaties ahead of a candidate country joining the EU. As a result transitional controls have been introduced to the Free Movement of Workers. In their current form, these transitional controls allow a Member State the option of delaying the implementation of free movement for a maximum of seven years after the date of accession. The Government is seeking to reform these measures as set out in the 22 February 2016 White Paper “The Best of Both Worlds: the United Kingdom’s Special Status in a Reformed European Union”, and the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has made it clear that we will not agree to further enlargement taking place before such reforms have been agreed and implemented.

All decisions about the accession of a new member to the EU require unanimous agreement of all existing members. In addition, any accession to the EU would under the EU Act 2011 need to be ratified by Act of Parliament.