Withdrawal Agreement
This protects and guarantees the rights of citizens of both parties. These include the right to residency: citizens from each party that have resided in the other will be entitled to continue living under the same conditions and to acquire permanent residency after continuous legal residency for five years. The right to work both as an employee and on a self-employed basis and the recognition of professional qualifications. The right to medical care, pensions and other rights deriving from the social security system.
Orderly transition to separation. The different situations posed by the separation are regulated in detail so as to guarantee an orderly transition in various areas: free movement of goods, geographic designations of origin, police and judicial cooperation, data protection, public procurement, administrative cooperation between Member States and the United Kingdom, privileges and immunities, and other issues relating to the functioning of institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union.
Transition period to 31 December 2020. During this period, EU law is applicable to the United Kingdom except in relation to the presence on institutions and governance structures. This period will allow the future relations between the two parties to be negotiated and provide certainty to citizens and companies (Article 132 allows the transition period to be extended only once to a maximum of two years).
Budget. A financial agreement guarantees that the United Kingdom and the European Union will meet all their pending obligations under EU law, which establishes the contribution from the United Kingdom to the 2019 and 2020 budgets. In the event that the transition period is extended beyond 2020, the United Kingdom must make an additional contribution to the European Union budget.
Governance. A system of governance is established that grants a leading role to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which will control the application and interpretation of Parts two and five of the Agreement. Furthermore, its role in interpreting EU law is guaranteed. Institutional mechanisms are created, including a Joint EU-United Kingdom Committee. Rules are established for conflict resolution through an arbitral panel that must consult the CJEU on the interpretation of EU law.