EEA Joint Committee adopts measures to avoid disruption at end of Brexit transition

EEA in blue (dark and light) after the UK leaves the EU and the EEA.

In order to avoid potential serious market disruptions following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, the EEA Joint Committee took the following measures: It adopted by written procedure nine joint committee decisions (JCDs) into the EEA Agreement on 30 December. This ensures simultaneous application throughout the EEA as of 1 January 2021.

The decisions incorporated cover the following areas after the end of the transition period:

• Eight acts in the field of sanitary and phytosanitary requirements (SPS). These acts list the UK as an approved third country to ensure that there are no disruptions for trade in the SPS area.
• One act on organic products was incorporated, authorising Control Bodies for Organics in the UK. This is a requirement for imports of organic products from the UK.
• Two acts in the field of transport, one on certain aspects of aviation safety and the other one providing common rules ensuring basic road freight and road passenger connectivity.
• One decision in the field of financial services, determining, for a limited period of time, that the regulatory framework applicable to central counterparties in the UK and Northern Ireland is equivalent in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 909/2014.

Provisional texts of EEA Joint Committee Decisions in 2020