Section 5: General implementation of remainder of withdrawal agreement
- This section gives effect to Article 4 of the Withdrawal Agreement, on the methods and principles relating to the effect, the implementation, and the application of the Withdrawal Agreement.
- Article 4 of the Withdrawal Agreement provides for:
- individuals and businesses to be able to rely directly on the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement to bring a claim before UK courts, where certain tests are met;
- the disapplication of provisions of domestic law which are inconsistent or incompatible with the Withdrawal Agreement; and
- provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement referring to EU law and its concepts to be interpreted and applied in the UK using the methods and general principles of EU law.
- Article 4 also states that provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement which are based on EU law must be interpreted in the UK in conformity with CJEU case law handed down before the end of the implementation period, and that the UK’s courts need to have due regard to relevant CJEU case law handed down after this point when interpreting and applying relevant areas of the Withdrawal Agreement.
- In order to give effect to Article 4, this section, which will be inserted into the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018, makes the rights and obligations etc in the Withdrawal Agreement available in domestic law. This section also provides that domestic legislation must be read, and given effect, in a manner that is compatible with the Withdrawal Agreement.
- Taken together, subsections (1) and (2) ensure that rights, powers, obligations, remedies etc as they arise or are created from time to time in the Withdrawal Agreement are given legal effect in the UK legal system. This means that they will apply directly without the need for further domestic implementing legislation. This also means that the limited category of dynamic provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement will flow through the ‘conduit pipe’ of this section into domestic law as they update post-exit.
- Specifically, subsection (1) provides for rights, powers, liabilities, obligations and restrictions created or arising under the Withdrawal Agreement, and remedies and procedures provided for by the Withdrawal Agreement, to apply directly in domestic law.
- Subsection (2) makes clear that the rights and obligations etc arising from the Withdrawal Agreement and which will apply directly in the UK by subsection (1) are to be recognised in domestic law and enforced, allowed and followed accordingly.
- Subsection (3) provides that enactments are to be read and have effect subject to subsection (2). ‘Enactment’ is defined at section 39 and, for the purposes of the Act, means ‘an enactment whenever passed or made’ and therefore captures legislation (examples of which are given in section 39) even if passed after the Act is passed. Therefore, the effect of this section is to ensure that any past or future enactment which does not clearly state otherwise (including any enactment contained within the Act itself), will take effect subject to section 5(2).
- Subsection (4) makes clear that this section will not apply in relation to Part 4 of the Withdrawal Agreement (Implementation period) so far as section 2(1) of the ECA applies in relation to that Part.
- Subsection (5) directs the reader to look also at the specific parts of the Act which make further provision for giving effect to the Withdrawal Agreement - namely, citizens’ rights, financial provision, the interpretation of law relating to the Agreements etc, certain other separation issues, and the corresponding powers for the devolved administrations. This list is not exhaustive, and the reader should look to all pieces of legislation which may be relevant.
