PM for post- Brexit close partnership negotiation with UK

Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Friday emphasized to focus on close partnership negotiation with the United Kingdom in future.

“Tomorrow (Saturday) the UK is no longer a member of the EU. Finland respects the UK’s decision. Thanks to the withdrawal agreement, Brexit will take place in an orderly manner, which is a good thing. Now it is time to look into the future and focus on negotiating as close partnership relations with the UK as possible,” said the Prime Minister.

She made the remarks at a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs, said an official press release.

The committee discussed the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The withdrawal agreement enters into force 1 February, and it will dismantle all cooperation based on the UK’s EU membership in an orderly manner.

The future relations must now be renegotiated in all sectors. The Commission will give proposals for a negotiating mandate that covers all sectors on 3 February, and this is to be approved at the General Affairs Council on 25 February.

The Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs also outlined Finland’s positions for the Informal Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Competitiveness (3–4 February), where the main topic to be discussed is research and innovation policy.

The meeting discussed the European Green Deal and its financing.

The committee noted that the European Green Deal proposed by the Commission provides a positive and comprehensive approach to address the EU’s main sustainability challenges.

A key element of the Green Deal is the decision of the European Council last December to achieve climate-neutrality in the EU by 2050.

Similarly, the Commission’s aim to use the programme to build the EU into a fair and just society of wellbeing is well in line with the objectives Finland has set in the Government Programme. Finland will establish its positions on the individual initiatives after the Commission has given the proposals for these.

With regard to the financing of the European Green Deal, Finland stresses the need to involve private stakeholders as broadly as possible.