First round Brexit negotiations reach “breakthrough deal”

After days of negotiations the Prime Minister has agreed a “breakthrough deal” with the European Commission. 

Earlier this morning (December 8) Theresa May announced that the first round of talks had ended with a draft agreement that there will be no “hard border” in Ireland, that EU Citizens’ rights would be protected both at home and abroad and that a financial settlement had been decided. 

The proposals must now be approved by EU leaders in a meeting set to take place next week (December 14) before the next stage of talks regarding trade can begin. 

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Junker, described the deal as a “breakthrough”, adding that he was confident it would meet with the approval of the other leaders. 

Citizens' Rights

The UK plastics industry had hoped for a positive outcome on citizens' rights, as it employs some 18,000+ non-UK EU workers. 

As the ongoing skills shortage in the plastics industry continues, the BPF said the UK needed "immediate assurance that existing EU workers in the plastics industry can stay and that companies will be able to access skilled workers in the future."

Today's announcements outlined that EU citizens that live in the UK, as well as UK citizens in the EU, will have their rights to work, live and study protected. 

In addition, those citizens currently living in the UK that have not yet gained permanent residency status would be able to acquire it post-March 2019. 

Irish Border

It is still not entirely clear how the border between Northern and the Republic of Ireland will operate after Brexit, however, today's negotiations have seen the guarantee that there will be "no hard line" between the two. 

This will alleviate some of the plastics industry's fears surrounding the free flow of goods and services once the UK has left the European Union. The next round of talks on overall trade are crucial for the industry. 

Financial Settlement

Finally, it is expected that the cost of leaving the EU, the financial settlement, will be between £35-£39billion. 

Theresa May said that the settlement would be "fair to the British taxpayer". She also said that in the future the UK would be able to invest more in "priorities at home", including housing, the NHS and schools.