The EU General Affairs Council have today (Tuesday 25) approved the document which will be the basis for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK.
The UK ministers will meet at No 10 to discuss the government’s opening stance for negotiations which are due to start next month.
The EU’s 46-page mandate says that its ‘envisaged agreement should uphold common high standards, and corresponding high standards over time with Union standards as a reference point’.
This document will be the blueprint that EU Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier will follow in the negotiations.
Ministers in the UK will commit to seeking a Canada style agreement with zero tariffs, which has previously been proposed by the Prime Minister and his Europe adviser David Frost in recent weeks.