The European Commission’s approach to transparency in the Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom
The Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom are unique and differ from any other negotiation conducted by the European Union to date. Given their unprecedented nature, the European Commission has decided to adopt a tailor-made approach to transparency.
The Commission, as European Union negotiator, will ensure a maximum level of transparency during the whole negotiating process.
Commission negotiating documents which are shared with EU Member States, the European Council, the European Parliament, the Council, national parliaments, and the United Kingdom will be released to the public.
Negotiating documents on Article 50
The negotiating documents mentioned above include, but are not limited to:
- agendas for negotiating rounds
- EU position papers
- non-papers
- EU text proposals
This transparency policy will be regularly reviewed to ensure that it fulfils its objective and does not negatively impact the integrity of the negotiations. In implementing this policy, the Union negotiator will act within the limits of EU law and respect the Commission’s legal obligations with regard to protection of information as defined in art 4, paragraph 1 of Regulation n° 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European parliament, Council and Commission documents.