As you may be aware, at the March European Council the UK and EU agreed to extend Article 50, moving the date on which the UK will exit the European Union and Euratom until at least 23:00 GMT on 12 April. Under the terms of this extension, all arrangements currently in place with the EU and Euratom will continue, uninterrupted, until the time of the UK’s departure. This means that the UK will continue to comply with all EU and Euratom rules and regulations until the extension period comes to an end.
Looking forward, in the event that the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by UK Parliament prior to 12 April, the EU and UK have agreed to an extension to last until 23:00 GMT on 22 May, to allow the UK time to pass the required EU exit legislation. However, if the Withdrawal Agreement is not approved and no further extension is agreed, the UK will leave the EU and Euratom at 23:00 GMT on 12 April with no deal in place. To this end, further no deal guidance was published this week. This guidance, Shipping radioactive sources between the UK and EU after Brexit, outlines what operators need to do to move sealed radioactive sources between the UK and EU in a no deal scenario.
In further news from the Department, following Richard Harrington’s ministerial resignation on 25 March, temporary changes have been made to BEIS ministerial portfolios and Chris Skidmore, Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation will now have responsibility for civil nuclear issues. Richard Harrington’s replacement will be announced by the Prime Minister in due course, and in the meantime the work of the Department will continue as usual.
We will keep you updated with further developments as we continue to plan for all scenarios, including where the UK leaves the EU with no deal on 12 April. As previously, we would encourage stakeholders, where appropriate, to share the above guidance throughout supply chains and to contact the Euratom Exit Team at CNRDEuratomCP@beis.gov.uk if additional information is required.