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The Financial Times “Britain risks losing access to EU legal accord” (27 April 2020) reports that the EU 27 have been advised by the European Commission that a quick decision on the UK’s application to join the Lugano Convention was “not in the EU’s interests.” The Lugano Convention regulates cooperation in civil judicial and commercial matters between the EU 27 and Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. It is designed to facilitate rights and remedies for individuals, consumers and companies in legal relationships with a cross-border aspect. The UK is only a member of the Convention through its EU membership and if its application to re-join in its own right is rejected the Convention will cease to apply after the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. Ben Rayment of Monckton Chambers is quoted in the FT’s article regarding the potential implications of the UK’s application being refused.
The Finacial Times Article can be found here.
Further background on the Lugano Convention can be found on the Monckton Brexit blog here.
And in the Bar Council’s briefing paper on the Lugano Convention here.