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  4. MSPs seek views on EU law continuity bill

MSPs seek views on EU law continuity bill

7th July 2020 | europe , planning/environment | Environment , EU / international

MSPs on two Holyrood committees are currently seeking views on the Scottish Government's UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill, as they begin their stage 1 scrutiny.

The bill's main purposes are:

  • to allow Scots law to keep pace with EU law in devolved areas, where appropriate;
  • to ensure that there continue to be guiding principles on the environment in Scotland, and to establish an environmental governance body, Environmental Standards Scotland;
  • to continue the role and functions of the European institutions in ensuring the complete and effective implementation of environmental law.

The Finance & Constitution Committee (FCC), the lead committee on the bill, will focus on the constitutional aspects of the bill, while the Environment, Climate Change & Land Reform Committee (ECCLRC) as secondary committee will focus on the environmental policy aspects.

Both have issued calls for evidence: the FCC's, which closes on 7 August 2020, can be viewed here, and the ECCLRC's, which closes on 31 July 2020, can be viewed here.

Among the matters to be canvassed are:

  • the implications of the keeping pace power in the bill potentially leading to substantial policy divergence with the rest of the UK following the end of the Brexit transition period;
  • the proposals for the Scottish Government to voluntarily maintain regulatory alignment with EU law using secondary rather than primary legislation;
  • the implications of the UK and devolved governments no longer having a formal role in influencing the EU policy making process;
  • any constraints which may affect the Scottish Ministers’ ability to use the keeping pace power in the ways envisaged;
  • the need for clearly defined criteria to apply to assessing whether or not to replicate any particular EU law into domestic law;
  • whether the four environmental principles are the right choice and whether other principles or high-level objectives should be included;
  • the limit on the application of these principles and whether they should extend to all areas of policy and regulation;
  • and generally, the adequacy of the impact assessments and statements including on sustainable development, equalities and human rights, and the costs associated with the provisions.

 

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