All together

Pros and cons of European Parliament’s made-to-measure Brexit solution

QWhat is an association agreement?

AIt is a treaty between the EU and a non-eu country that creates a broad framework for cooperation based on “reciprocal rights and obligations” between both sides.

They are governed by a ministerial-level committee.

QWhich other countries have them?

AThe EU currently has more than 20 of these agreements. Originally they were designed as a stepping stone towards membership, but more recently they have been put to broader uses such as deepening trade ties with Morocco or political links with Ukraine.

Supporters of the idea, like Mr Verhofstadt, argue that an EU-UK association agreement could be crafted to fit the UK’S unique circumstances.

The Ukraine agreement is often held up as a template because it provides access for financial services.

QWhy might it be attractive for the UK?

ABecause it creates an all-purpose vehicle for the EU-UK relationship that fully integrates all the many aspects – trade, defence, security, environment, culture and education. It allows for “privileged links” between the EU and a non-member states. This more integrated approach could, in theory, make it easier to establish the “deep and comprehensive” relationship that Mrs May seeks after Brexit.

That said, the European Parliament is clear that this would require a softening of the UK’S current red lines on accepting the writ of the European Court of Justice and the single market and customs union membership. On current terms, the UK would still be limited to a basic Free Trade Agreement.

QWhy might it be unattractive?

ABecause this “deep and comprehensive” approach would take Britain down a road that would require the UK to accept large chunks of EU law and levels of “alignment” that many Brexiters are not comfortable with.

Some argue that an association agreement will actually be more complex to negotiate, given the inter-linkage between the sectors. A piecemeal agreement, where sectors can be negotiated and signed in parallel, might prove more flexible in both the shorter and longer term.