General Affairs Council (Art. 50), 17/10/2017

Agenda highlights

Brexit negotiations

The Council, in an EU 27 format, will discuss the state of play of Brexit negotiations after five rounds of talks with the UK. Michel Barnier, the EU Chief Negotiator, will brief the ministers on the progress made so far.

This discussion will serve as preparation for the meeting of the EU27 heads of state or government at the European Council (Article 50) on 20 October 2017.

Relocation of two EU agencies

In the margins of the General Affairs Council (Article 50), EU27 ministers are also expected to hold a political discussion regarding the relocation of the two EU agencies currently located in the UK:

•  European Medicines Agency
•  European Banking Authority

The future location needs to be decided through a specific procedure endorsed by the EU27 leaders on 22 June 2017.