General Affairs Council (Art. 50), 20/06/2017, 20 June 2017

Main results

Brexit 

The Council, in an EU27 format, was informed by the Commission about the first round of Brexit negotiations with the UK that took place in Brussels the previous day. Ministers prepared the European Council (Article 50) of 22 June 2017 by discussing the state of play of the Brexit talks and the way ahead. 

We start these negotiations with goodwill and with the clear aim of reaching a deal. For that, we have no time to lose. It is good news that we have agreed with the UK on how we organise our discussions. We have been very clear about our position too. We   now hope the UK also comes to the negotiating table with clear and realistic ideas.

Helena Dalli, Minister for European Affairs and Equality of Malta

EU agencies 

In the margins of the Council meeting, EU27 ministers discussed the procedure for deciding on  the relocation of the EU agencies currently situated in the UK: the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Banking Authority (EBA). 

President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the Commission Jean-Claude Juncker have suggested to member states a specific procedure. It consists of a call for offers from the member states, an assessment by the Commission based on objective criteria, and a final decision by the 27 member states by vote in the autumn of 2017. 

EU27 leaders are expected to endorse the procedure in the margins of European Council (Article 50) on 22 June.