Plans for new cross-border legal system
MINISTERS will today unveil plans for a system for settling cross-border legal disputes after Britain quits the EU.
The move is designed to ensure that child custody cases, consumer protection issues and other civil judicial proceedings involving families or businesses in Britain and EU nations can continue to be resolved “in a fair and sensible way”.
The position paper by David Davis’s Department for Exiting the EU will set out the Government’s stance on the issue before the next round of Brexit negotiations begins next week.
A Government source said: “Close co-operation in this area isn’t just in the interest of the UK citizens living in the EU, it’s in the interest of the 3.2 million EU citizens living in Britain.
“For example, with more families living across borders we need to make sure that, if and when problems arise, they can be reassured that crossborder laws will apply to them in a fair and sensible way.
“By setting out a clear position on this, we hope we will be able to work with the European Commission to agree a reasoned approach that works for families here in Britain and across the European Union.” Today’s paper follows proposals announced yesterday to ensure that goods and services put on the market across the UK and EU before Brexit day can continue to be traded without extra restrictions and requirements.
A separate paper recommended a reciprocal agreement on continued confidentiality for official documents shared by Britain with its EU partners while it was a member state.
Mr Davis said the papers provide “certainty and confidence in the UK’s status as an economic powerhouse after we have left the EU” and make clear that “our separation from the EU and future relationship are inextricably linked”.