The seminar will feature a presentation on the Brexit negotiation directive by new Assistant professor in European Law Natassa Athanasiadou and a presentation on the Opinion rendered by the Court of Justice on the EU-Singapore trade agreement by Andrea Ott. The two presentations will be related to one another since the Opinion of the ECJ on the EU-Singapore trade agreement will also have repercussions for future EU-UK trade deal.

The first presentation will be devoted to introducing the Council’s negotiating directives on Brexit.On the 22nd of May, the Council adopted a decision authorising the official beginning of negotiations with the UK following the notification of its intention to leave the EU. The Commission was hereby nominated as the EU negotiator. The Council also adopted a set of negotiating directives (seeattachment) which reflect the EU position and constitute the Commission’s mandate in the negotiation process. 

Natassa Athanasiadou will introduce these new negotiation directives with a view to provoking a discussion on different EU law issues which need to be addressed during the BREXIT negotiations.

The presentation of Andrea Ott will then introduce the main findings of the long-awaited Opinion 2/15 on the free trade agreement with Singapore. This opinion forms a landmark case in delimiting competences between EU and Member States on comprehensive FTAs with third countries. It addresses, among other things, the scope of the CCP under Article 207 (1) TFEU and the role of Article 3 (2) and the ERTA doctrine establishing exclusivity.

Please find attached to this email the Council’s negotiation guidelines. See: Opinion 2/15 

You are all welcome to attend this event which we know will bring about interesting debates about important current developments at the EU level.