Following the UK’s departure from the EU, its relationship with the EU is governed by the Withdrawal Agreement (agreed on 17 October 2019) and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (agreed on 24 December 2020).

The Committee explains that the European Affairs Committee, established in April 2021, has so far conducted discrete inquiries into specific policy areas relevant to the UK-EU relationship, including the rights of UK and EU citizens, trade in goods between Great Britain and the EU, and the UK-EU relationship in financial services, all of which have culminated in the publication of substantial reports.

In this inquiry, the Committee will seek to take a step back and examine the overarching state of UK-EU relations, particularly in the context of ongoing geopolitical developments in Europe and explore how the relationship might be developed or improved. The Committee’s inquiry will also seek to shed light on the UK-EU relationship by examining several specific areas that it has identified either as ongoing issues of concern or as opportunities for future cooperation. The inquiry will encompass the following four topics:

• the overall UK-EU political, diplomatic, and institutional relationship;
• the UK-EU relationship on foreign policy and security;
• the UK-EU relationship on environment and climate change matters; and
• the UK-EU relationship on culture, education, and movement of people.

Taken together, the Committee anticipates that these topics will form the building blocks of a wide-ranging report that will take stock of the current state of UK-EU relations, and the options that the Government might pursue for developing and improving the relationship in the future.

The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit written evidence to this inquiry by 28 October 2022. Public evidence sessions are expected to take place between September and December, and the Committee aims to report to the House by Spring 2023. To access the call for evidence, click here.