The House of Lords European Affairs Committee, chaired by Lord Ricketts, has launched an inquiry into the implications for UK-EU relations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The inquiry will look beyond immediate crisis management towards the handling of longer-term issues.
Its starting point is that the outbreak of a major conflict on the European continent in February 2022 has led to developments in the EU’s approach to external affairs which are likely to have important consequences for the UK-EU relationship in the future.
The inquiry will focus, in particular, on the following themes:
1. The EU’s overall foreign and security policy response.
2. UK-EU cooperation on sanctions, including enforcement and effectiveness.
3. The EU’s developing defence policy and approach to resilience.
4. Future reconstruction of Ukraine.
5. The EU’s wider positioning on foreign policy and future priorities, in particular the prospect of future enlargement.
The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit written evidence to this inquiry by. Public evidence sessions are expected to take place between September and November, and the Committee aims to report to the House by January 2024.
Lord Ricketts, Chair of the European Affairs Committee, said:
“The outbreak of a major war on the European continent following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to developments in the EU’s approach to external affairs which are likely to have important consequences for the UK-EU relationship in the future.
“Our inquiry will look beyond immediate crisis management towards the handling of some of the longer-term issues. These will include assessing the co-ordination between the UK and EU and partners to enforce sanctions against Russia, assessing co-operation between the UK and EU on defence and resilience policy, and exploring how the EU and the UK can contribute to the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
“ The Committee invites individuals and organisations to submit written evidence by 27 October.”
