The Isle of Man Government has today launched a six-week public consultation on the draft European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which is set to commence its passage through the branches of Tynwald later this year.
The consultation will run until 29 May 2018 and can be accessed at the online Consultation Hub consult.gov.im. Members of the public, businesses and organisations are invited to comment on the draft Bill.
The UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU means that the Isle of Man’s current relationship with the EU will end when the UK’s membership of the EU comes to an end at 11pm on 29 March 2019. As in the UK, this event will have an unprecedented effect on the Island’s legislative framework.
The draft Bill has three key functions:
- Repeal the European Communities (Isle of Man) Act 1973, whilst also allowing for the preservation of those EU instruments which fall within the scope of the Isle of Man’s current relationship with the EU and also continue to allow EU instruments to be voluntarily applied to the Island where it would be useful to do so;
- Enable the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Implementation Period, expected to be agreed between the UK and the EU, to have effect in Manx law, and;
- Allow certain agreements which currently apply to the Isle of Man through our existing relationship with the EU to continue to apply after withdrawal. This includes World Trade Organisation and other Free Trade Agreements.
Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK said:
‘Our EU (Withdrawal) Bill is intended to make the legislative changes we need to ensure a smooth transition into our new relationship with the EU, including our inclusion within the planned implementation period from March 2019 to December 2020; providing the highest possible level of certainty and stability for Island residents and businesses.’
He added:
'While some of the decisions we will have to take as a result of Brexit are outside of our direct control, we nonetheless value the importance of the views of the public, and that is why we have decided to launch this consultation.’
