What’s happened?
Since the December 2019 General Election, the Government has been working to formalise the UK’s departure from the European Union (EU). This has involved passing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament and preparing to start formal trade negotiations with the EU.
Under the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which is expected to pass into law before the end of January 2020, the UK will leave the EU at 23.00 on Friday 31 January 2020. After this, the UK will enter a transition period which will see the UK stay closely aligned to EU rules and regulations until 30 December 2020.
Between 31 January and 30 December 2020, the UK government and EU officials will attempt to negotiate the terms of their future relationship. This will set out how the UK and EU will operate post-Brexit including the terms on which they conduct trade and business.
Next steps
Epilepsy Action will continue to monitor the progress of negotiations between the UK and the EU. In particular, we will pay close attention to issues such as medicine supplies and reciprocal healthcare that could impact people with epilepsy.
Going forward, we will continue to engage with the government on these issues and ensure that the voices of people with epilepsy are represented in these discussions. It is likely that the next stages of Brexit, including the negotiations between the UK and EU, will largely be done behind closed doors. We’ll be sure to keep people updated as we know more and as things develop.