Press Releases

Athens, 25 January 2021

Teleconference on the EU - UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement

 

A teleconference of the Chairpersons of the Committees of European Affairs of EU parliaments (COSAC) with the Head of the Task force for Relations with the UK, Mr. Michel Barnier, on the EU – UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which was reached on 24 December 2020, was held today in the framework of the parliamentary dimension of  the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council. The Hellenic Parliament was represented by Mrs. Marietta Giannakou, MP and member of the Hellenic Parliament's European Affairs Committee. 

 Mr. Barnier outlined the pillars of the agreement reached and the important issues that were not on the negotiating table, since the UK did not desire it, such as the common foreign policy, external security and defence cooperation. 

In her intervention, Mrs. Giannakou expressed her satisfaction at the fact that, even at the last minute, the negotiations concluded successfully and underlined that it is now possible to build a mutually beneficial EU - UK relationship. She stated that at a national level and in cooperation with Brussels, the legal framework is being prepared for the proper implementation of the Agreement and added that any weaknesses that may arise, due to the urgent need for its implementation, will be addressed effectively. She summed up by saying the the UK is still the EU's best friend and ally and that she hopes that all national parliaments will give the green light for the implementation of the Agreement by ratifying it. 

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