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UK-EU withdrawal agreement
Practical Law UK Glossary w-029-8775 (Approx. 5 pages)
Glossary
UK-EU withdrawal agreement
The agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). The withdrawal agreement:
- Is a treaty between the EU and Euratom, and the UK, which sets out the arrangements for the UK's withdrawal from the EU and from Euratom.
- Was negotiated and concluded under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union.
- Entered into force at 11.00 pm (UK time) on 31 January 2020 (exit day), when the UK left the EU and Euratom, although many of its provisions only started to apply from the end of the transition period.
The Protocols (including the Northern Ireland Protocol) and Annexes form an integral part of the withdrawal agreement (Article 182). Decisions adopted by the withdrawal agreement Joint Committee have the same legal effect as the withdrawal agreement, and are binding on the UK and the EU (Article 166). These include decisions amending the withdrawal agreement (see Practice note, UK-EU withdrawal agreement: governance and dispute settlement: Amendment of withdrawal agreement by joint committee).
If any Act of Parliament uses the term EU withdrawal agreement, this means the withdrawal agreement within the meaning of section 39 of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (section 5 and paragraph 1, Schedule 1, Interpretation Act 1978). The section 39 definition includes any modifications made to the withdrawal agreement from time to time.
The initial withdrawal agreement text was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31 January 2020, and a consolidated version shows subsequent amendments up to the specified date. For information on the latest amendments, see UK-EU withdrawal agreement: Joint Committee decisions, unilateral declarations and meetings tracker: Joint Committee decisions amending withdrawal agreement.