P-05-712 A Welsh Government Department for Europe would ensure a clear, strategic and accountable voice for Wales in ongoing negotiations
P-05-712 A Welsh Government Department for Europe would ensure a clear, strategic and accountable voice for Wales in ongoing negotiations
This
petition was submitted by Tegid Roberts, having collected 22 signatures online.
Petition Wording
We
call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to create
a Department for Europe as a matter of urgency, tasked with understanding and
developing a strategy for Wales’ continued engagement with the EU and our
future relationship with the European partners.
Since
the Brexit referendum the UK Government’s response has been slow and ambiguous
- A Cabinet office unit for Brexit was initially proposed then abandoned to be
replaced with the new post of “Minister for Brexit”, a role seemingly bereft of
clear objectives, and led by an MP who has spent the last 20 years on the back
benches.
In
Wales the Welsh Government response has been muted to say the least and it is
time now that Wales itself took action so that negotiations between the UK and
the rest of the EU work smoothly and that Wales - a net beneficiary of EU
membership - has a decisive role in shaping our future relationship with the
EU. As things currently stand, England and Scotland dominate all negotiations
with the wider EU and without a concerted strategic plan of action from the
Welsh government, this situation is likely to continue.
This
Department should have a strong Cabinet Secretary with experience of working in
Europe who can work across all departments. The Secretary should be supported
by a cross-party committee to scrutinise all areas of current engagement and to
help devise what our future relationship with the EU should look like. This
committee should in turn be advised by a group of external expert advisors
brought in from legal, economic, business, agricultural, cultural, and academic
sectors.
A
Welsh Government Department for Europe would ensure a clear, strategic and
accountable voice for Wales in ongoing negotiations. We also need a strong
voice in Europe to make sure that we continue to benefit and contribute to the
areas we are already involved in and to develop relationships with the EU in
sectors that we are not currently fully engaged with post Brexit.
Welsh Government sign
Status
This petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 19/09/2017.
The
Committee considered correspondence from the First Minister and agreed to close
the petition given that the organisation of Welsh Government is a matter for
the First Minister and that regular updates on the Welsh Government’s response
to Brexit are provided during other Assembly proceedings. In doing
so, Members also took into account comments received from the petitioner after
the papers had been published, which appeared to recognise that the petition
had run its course. Full details of the consideration of this petitions by the
committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.
It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on
11/10/2016
Further information
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 30/09/2016