NFU summary: Draft working text for a comprehensive free trade agreement between the UK and the EU

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You might also be interested in reading our comparison of the two agreements, together with NFU commentary on what the various aspects mean for the UK agri-food sector.

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The UK version

This section summarises the key points of the draft text prepared by the United Kingdom used in the negotiation for a comprehensive free trade agreement (CFTA) with the EU.

The text was initially sent to the EU task force for relations with the UK ahead of the third round of negotiations. It is about 292 pages long, with 114 pages of annexes and is supplemented by nine draft international agreements covering, principally, fisheries, law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, transport, and energy.

The UK’s position is that all these agreements should have their own appropriate governance arrangements, with no role for the EU Court of Justice. 

In parallel to this negotiation, the UK and the EU are also engaged in talks around the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol, a key element of the Withdrawal Agreement. In this context, special conditions will apply to trade between the EU and Northern Ireland.

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NFU members can download the summary of the draft text of the Agreement on the New Partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom – The UK version - here.

This briefing is accessible to NFU members only and you will be asked to log in.

How to log in: Use your membership number or the email address associated with your membership to log in. If you've forgotten your password, you can click here to reset it or contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458.

The EU version

This section summarises the key points of the draft text prepared by the European Commission to be used in the negotiation for a new partnership with the UK.

The text was sent to all the Member States (MS) and the European Parliament in March and is about 441 pages long.

The text is still very much a skeleton and many important issues are still in square brackets.

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NFU members can download the summary of the draft text of the Agreement on the New Partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom – The EU version - here.

This briefing is accessible to NFU members only and you will be asked to log in.

How to log in: Use your membership number or the email address associated with your membership to log in. If you've forgotten your password, you can click here to reset it or contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458.

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