Guide to Brexit sources (updated May 2023)

Professor Steve Peers, University of Essex

Updates: April 29 and 30 2021 to include links on the Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), and updated links on implementation of the withdrawal agreement. May 4 2021: links on numbering of the TCA and the Lugano Convention. June 2021: EU data protection adequacy decisions. July 2021: extension of transition periods, Gibraltar proposed negotiating mandate. Sept 6 2021: link to UK extension of grace period.  Oct 7 2021: press release on EU mandate to negotiate a treaty concerning Gibraltar. Oct 9 2021: text of the negotiating mandate for a treaty re Gibraltar. Oct 28 2021: French measures in fishing dispute; EU proposals re Northern Ireland. Nov 10 2021: decision on data exchange, implementing TCA. April 25 2022: Northern Ireland medicine legislation adopted; EU proposals on implementation of TCA; Decision 2/2021 implementing TCA. June 14 2022: Northern Ireland Protocol bill. Sep 1 2022: UK invokes dispute settlement Dec 28 2022: Partnership Council decisions in 2022, EU notice on medicines; March 5 2023: Windsor Framework; May 16 2023: Retained EU law bill 

For links to case law on Brexit issues see the separate page.

Post-Brexit relationship  

Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Trade and Cooperation Agreement (finalised version)

Trade and Cooperation Agreement (provisional version)

Changes in numbering of TCA (table by Simon Usherwood)

TCA Declarations

Council decision concluding the TCA

Partnership Council decision extending provisional application of TCA to April 30 2021

Partnership Council decision 2/2021 on extension of deadline re passenger data

Partnership Council decision 1/2022 on civil society forum

Partnership Council decision 2/2022 on further extension of deadline re passenger data

Partnership Council decision 3/2022 on list of arbitrators 

Specialised Committee decision extending exchange of DNA and fingerprint data to June 30 2022

Statements by EU institutions re the TCA

EU proposals to implement the TCA

EU Commission annual report on the TCA

UK government start of dispute settlement on TCA on Horizon programme - analysis in Twitter thread

Other documents 

European Parliament resolution on the future relationship

Commission statement on EP role supervising implementation

Draft adequacy decisions on UK and data protection: GDPR and law enforcement; opinions of European Data Protection Board

Final adequacy decisions on UK and data protection, adopted June 28 2021: GDPR and law enforcement

EU/UK treaty on classified information

Euratom/UK treaty

Commission refusal to negotiate UK admission to Lugano Convention on civil and commercial judgments

Proposed EU negotiating mandate re a treaty concerning Gibraltar; press release on Council adoption of the negotiation mandate; agreed negotiating mandate, adopted October 2021

UK position paper on future relationship

EU negotiation mandate

UK proposals for treaties on future relationship

EU proposal for treaty on future relationship

EU proposal for foreign policy part of the future treaty

Commission paper on preparation for after the transition period (July 2020)

EU documents on the negotiations

UK trade negotiations (including non-EU countries) 

UK rollover treaties with non-EU countries

UK government page on end of the transition period

EU page on end of the transition period


Withdrawal agreement 

Text of the withdrawal agreement

Text of the political declaration on the future relationship  

EU Council decision on conclusion of the agreement

EU declaration re the European Arrest Warrant

Guidance note on citizens' rights

EU note on Northern Ireland protocol

UK command paper on Northern Ireland protocol (2020)

Joint Committee decision amending the withdrawal agreement

Joint Committee decisions and UK and EU declarations on Northern Ireland protocol

Joint Committee decision 2/20 on social security

Joint Committee decision 7/20 on list of arbitrators

Council decision on UK unilateral extension of chilled meats transition 

UK government Command Paper on renegotiating the Northern Ireland Protocol (July 2021)

UK extension of grace period re NI protocol, Sept 2021; Commission reply 

Proposed EU measures re Northern Ireland protocol, October 2021; adopted April 2022

French measures adopted Oct 2021, in fisheries dispute re Channel Islands; see also Twitter thread analysis of the TCA fisheries dispute settlement rules which apply

Northern Ireland protocol bill, June 2022; see analysis by Colin Murray 

Commission notice on veterinary medicines

Windsor Framework on Northern Ireland protocol; see analysis here and here

UK legislation

European Union (Future Relationship) Act

Withdrawal Agreement Act 

Withdrawal Act

Notification of Withdrawal Act

Immigration and Social Security Coordination Act

Trade Bill

Agriculture Bill

Internal Market Act

Internal Market Bill

Retained EU Law bill 

Latest developments on Retained EU law bill, May 2023 

Historical sources

Joint documents (withdrawal agreement)

First version of withdrawal agreement

December 2017 Joint report

December 2017 joint technical note on citizens’ rights

EU27 documents (withdrawal agreement)

Text of EU27 main negotiation guidelines

Text of EU27 main negotiation directives

Text of EU27 negotiation guidelines on transition period

Text of EU27 negotiation directives on transition period

Commission Article 50 documents

Commission notices on Brexit impact

Text of proposed withdrawal agreement clauses on transition period

December 2017 – Commission communication on ‘sufficient progress’ in talks

European Parliament: Brexit impact study

UK documents (withdrawal process)

DexEU documents

EU Withdrawal Bill

Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill – aka ‘Customs Bill’

Trade Bill

Data Protection Bill

UK Parliament: Brexit publications

Supreme Court judgment in Miller

Selected posts from this blog

Future relationship 

Analysis of TCA - with links to further analyses (see also Twitter thread on human rights)

Council legal service opinion on TCA

Data protection adequacy decision for UK

Future relationship and labour standards

Future relationship justice and home affairs talks

Analysis of EU negotiation mandate

Regulatory divergence on copyright

Visa-free travel to the EU for UK visitors

Travel authorisation law for UK visitors


Withdrawal agreement

Analysis 1: overview

Analysis 2: transition period

Analysis 3: dispute settlement

Analysis 4: citizens' rights

Analysis 5: political declaration 

Analysis of Northern Ireland protocol

Enforcement of withdrawal agreement in national courts

Enforcement and termination of the agreement in international law

Analysis of Withdrawal Agreement Act

UK citizens in the EU and EU long-term resident status


Historical blog posts

Extending EU membership: first extension, second extension, Benn Act, third extension

Overview of first version of the withdrawal agreement

Comments on Theresa May and Boris Johnson speeches - Feb 2018

Text of proposed withdrawal agreement clauses on transition period - annotated version 1 version 2

Text of EU27 negotiation directives on transition period - annotated

Suggestions for withdrawal agreement clauses on citizens’ rights

Can the Article 50 notification be withdrawn? Analysis

December 2017 Joint report – analysis of citizens’ rights provisions

December 2017 Joint report - analysis of other provisions (Irish border, financial settlement, ‘winding up’ clauses)

General analysis of Florence speech

More detailed legal analysis of Florence speech and transition period issues

UK immigration to the EU after Brexit

Possible repeal of working time directive

Analysis of Data Protection Bill and Brexit

Future EU/UK relationship: foreign policy and criminal law

Future EU/UK relationship: cross-border civil litigation

EU Charter of Rights and Brexit

UK position paper on Northern Ireland

Brexit impact of June 2017 UK general election

Main EU negotiation guidelines annotated

Analysis of Withdrawal Bill White Paper

Legal issues of Scotland, EU, and independence referendum

Analysis of Brexit White Paper

Analysis of Brexit and Euratom

Analysis of UK Supreme Court Miller judgment

Analysis of Lancaster House speech

Can the UK stay in the single market after leaving the EU?

Analysis of Article 50 legal issues

Brexit blogs

Chris Grey – The Brexit Blog

EU Relations Law - on the future relationship

DCU Brexit Institute

Oliver Norgrove’s blog

Brexit Central website

EU referendum

Mark Elliott – Public law blog

Trade Policy Observatory blog

UK Trade Forum blog

Brexit Time blog

Herbert Smith Freehills: a) Brexit notes blog b) View from Brussels c) Papers

Law and Lawyers blog - Brexit posts

LSE Brexit blog

Squire Patton Boggs: Brexit Legal

Rabobank Economics Research - Brexit

Europe Street News

University of Bristol Law Research - Brexit posts

Jack of Kent blog

Pete North politics blog

HoganLovells Brexit page

UK in a Changing Europe page

Centre for European Reform page

Institute for Government - Brexit page

Jon Worth Euroblog

List of Brexit impact studies - compiled by Maria Ana Cataluna

Civil Service World - Brexit government project

BrexitLawNI team blog

The Conversation - Brexit posts

European Law Monitor

European Parliament - Brexit economic impact study

European Parliament - Irish border study

Photo credit: CinemaProbe