Cover letter and Note verbale on the agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community
Date: 2018-12-05
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: EAEC, United Kingdom, agreement (EU), withdrawal from the EU

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.12.2018  COM(2018) 841 final  Cover letter and Note verbale on the agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community  
 
 
COVER LETTER TO 

NOTE VERBALE ON THE AGREEMENT ON THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF 
GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE EUROPEAN 
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY  

Cover letter to third countries 

[Sender1]  presents  its  compliments  to  your  Government  and  has  the  honour  to  transmit  the 
attached Note Verbale on the Agreement for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the 
European Union and Euratom.  

Furthermore, for all conventions/agreements/arrangements to which the European Union is a 
signatory,  party  or  participant,  and  for  which  your  Government  is  the  depositary  or  chair, 
[Sender]  kindly  requests  that  your  Government  bring  the  attached  Note  Verbale  to  the 
attention of the other parties or participants to these conventions/agreements/arrangements. 

The attached Note Verbale has been endorsed by the Member States of the Union, including 
the United Kingdom. 

[Sender]  avails itself  of this  opportunity  to  renew  to  your  Government  the  assurances  of  its 
highest consideration. 

Cover letter to international organisations 

[Sender2]  presents  its  compliments  to  your  Organisation  and  has  the  honour  to  transmit  the 
attached Note Verbale on the Agreement for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the 
European Union and Euratom. 

Furthermore, for all conventions/agreements/arrangements to which the European Union is a 
signatory,  party  or  participant,  and  for  which  your  Organisation  is  the  depositary  or 
Secretariat, the relevant body or authority in your Organisation is kindly requested to bring it 
to  the  attention  of  the  other  parties  or  participants  to  these  conventions/agreements/ 
arrangements. 

The attached Note Verbale has been endorsed by the Member States of the Union, including 
the United Kingdom. 

[Sender] avails itself of this opportunity to renew to  your  Organisation the assurances of its 
highest consideration. 

1  Head  of  the  EU  Delegation  where  there  is  an  accredited  EU  Delegation  and  by  Union  headquarters  in  the 
absence of an accredited EU Delegation. 
2  Head  of  the  EU  Delegation  where  there  is  an  accredited  EU  Delegation  and  by  Union  headquarters  in  the 
absence of an accredited EU Delegation. 

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NOTE  VERBALE  ON  THE  AGREEMENT  ON  THE  WITHDRAWAL  OF  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM  OF 
GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  NORTHERN  IRELAND  FROM  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION  AND  THE  EUROPEAN 
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY 

1. On 29 March 2017, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 
Ireland  (the  "United  Kingdom")  notified  the  European  Council  of  the  United  Kingdom's 
intention to withdraw from the European Union ("Union") and the European Atomic Energy 
Community ("Euratom") in accordance with Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. The 
United  Kingdom  will  therefore  cease  to  be  a  Member  State  of  the  European  Union  and  of 
Euratom on 30 March 2019. 

2. On [DATE], the Union and Euratom, and the United Kingdom, in accordance with Article 
50,  paragraph 2,  of  the  Treaty  on  European  Union,  signed  an  Agreement  setting  out  the 
arrangements  for  the  withdrawal  of  the  United  Kingdom  from  the  Union  and  Euratom 
("Withdrawal  Agreement")3.  The  Withdrawal  Agreement  will  enter  into  force  on  30  March 
2019, subject to its prior ratification by the United Kingdom and conclusion by the Union and 
Euratom. 

3. In order to address the specific situation of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the 
Union and Euratom, the Withdrawal Agreement provides for a time-limited transition period 
during which, save certain very limited exceptions, Union law shall be applicable to and in the 
United  Kingdom  and  that  any  reference  to  Member  States  in  Union  law,  including  as 
implemented  and  applied  by  Member  States,  shall  be  understood  as  including  the  United 
Kingdom.  

4. The Union and Euratom, and the United Kingdom have agreed that Union law within the 
meaning  of  the  Withdrawal  Agreement  encompasses  international  agreements  concluded  by 
the Union (or Euratom), or by Member States acting on behalf of the Union (or Euratom), or 
by the Union (or Euratom) and its Member States jointly. 

5. Subject to timely ratification and conclusion of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Union and 
Euratom notify parties to the international agreements referred to in point 4 above that, during 
the transition period, the United Kingdom is treated as a Member State of the Union and of 
Euratom for the purposes of these international agreements. 

6.  It  is  understood  that  the  principles  set  out  in  this  note  also  extend  to  international 
instruments  and  arrangements  without  legally  binding  force  entered  into  by  the  Union  or 
Euratom and to international agreements referred to in point 4 above which are provisionally 
applied. 

3   The  Withdrawal 

Agreement 

can 

be 

consulted 

[link 

to 

Commission 

website: 

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/brexit-negotiations/negotiating-documents-article-50-negotiations-united-
kingdom_en]  [link  to  the  Official  Journal  and  the  Council  decision  on  the  signing  of  the  Withdrawal 
Agreement] 

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7. The provisions relating to the transition period are laid down in Part Four (Articles 126 to 
132)  of  the  Withdrawal  Agreement,  to  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  other  relevant 
provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement, in particular its Part One.  

8.  The  transition  period  starts  on  30  March  2019  and  ends  on  31  December  2020,  but  the 
Withdrawal  Agreement  foresees  the  possibility  of  adopting  a  single  decision  extending  the 
transition  period for up to 24 months.  In the  event  of an  extension, the Union and Euratom 
will communicate this by a further Note Verbale. 

9. At the end of the transition period, the United Kingdom will no longer be covered by the 
international agreements referred to in points 4 and 6 above. This is without prejudice to the 
status of the United Kingdom in relation to multilateral agreements to which it is a party in its 
own right. 

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