Today, on 22 November, Foreign Minister Sven Mikser gave the Government an overview of the current state of United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
“Even though negotiations on the withdrawal agreement have been intense, great strides have been made in the past few weeks to reach consensus on the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from European Union. We are positive that what has been achieved meets Estonia’s expectations. The withdrawal agreement ensures the UK’s orderly withdrawal from the EU, and protects the interests of the remaining EU27, including Estonia,” Mikser said. He added that the next decisive step will be the decision of the British Parliament.
“When it comes to negotiating on the future relationship with the UK, close economic relations and continued cooperation in the fields of security and foreign policy are especially important for Estonia. Here, it will be necessary to find new forms of cooperation and processes to ensure the smooth functioning of our relationship,” Mikser noted. He added that although the EU is working to reach the agreement with the UK, we have to be ready for the event of a no deal scenario.
Prime Minister Jüri Ratas welcomed the fact that after long and complicated negotiations an agreement has been reached allowing the United Kingdom to continue its withdrawal process from the EU in an orderly fashion and giving citizens and entreprises a degree of certainty. „For Estonia, the United Kingdom is and will continue to be a close partner and friend in Europe. We are bound together by history, mutual trust and long-term cooperation in the European Union, and a shared responsibility for European security,“ Ratas said.
Photos from the cabinet meeting: https://www.flickr.com/photos/estonian-foreign-ministry/albums/72157698005500230
More information:
Liisa Toots
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Media Adviser, Communication Department
[email protected]
+372 637 7628