Brexit

Following the Referendum of 23 June 2016, the United Kingdom officially notified the European Council on 29 March 2017 of its intention to leave the European Union. It is a decision that the Spanish Government, a firm supporter of the European project, regrets, but which belongs to the British people.

As a result of that process, from January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union and from January 1, 2021, after the end of the transitional period, that departure is having full social, political and economic effects.

At the moment, the relationship between the EU and the United Kingdom is regulated by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which consists of three main pillars:

  • A free trade agreementwhich covers trade in goods and services, investment, competition, state aid, fiscal transparency, air and road transport, energy and sustainability, fisheries, data protection and social security coordination. This agreement goes far beyond traditional free trade agreements, but does not in any way match the significant advantages enjoyed by the United Kingdom as a Member State of the Union. It states that there will be no tariffs or quotas for all goods that meet the appropriate rules of origin and the Parties have committed themselves to ensuring fair conditions of competition on the environment, combating climate change and carbon pricing, social and labour rights, fiscal transparency and State aid, while a binding dispute settlement mechanism has been agreed and the possibility for both Parties to take corrective action where necessary.
  • A new framework for police and judicial cooperation in criminal and civil mattersto combat and prosecute cross-border crime and terrorism; and
  • A horizontal agreement on governancein order to provide legal certainty for businesses, consumers and citizens as to how the Agreement will be implemented and monitored.

Likewise, the Withdrawal Agreement, which entered into force on 31 January 2020, remains in force and is making it possible to protect the rights of EU citizens and UK nationals, as well as the financial interests of the Union.

This orderly departure of the United Kingdom from the EU is the best option in order to make its impact as minor as possible and is the one that the Government of Spain has defended from the first moment, both at European and internal level.

This website aims to provide the information necessary for citizens and economic operators to know what Brexit is, and to be informed about the changes implied by the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, as well as the preparatory measures that were adopted at the time, both internally and at European level, in particular in the areas of responsibility of this Ministry.

Email to make any kind of general consultation on Brexit related to telecommunications and the information society: brexitdigital@economía.gob.es