UK Balance of Competences Review

The UK government is conducting a review of the scope of the EU’s competences (the power to act in particular areas conferred on it by the EU Treaties) as they affect the UK, how they are used, and what that means for Britain and its national interests. According to a timetable announced to the House of Commons on 23 October, the review will finish by the end of 2014 and is being divided into four semesters, each containing six to ten  reports. This review is of close interest to the Channel Islands. The Channel Islands formal relationship with the EU is governed by Protocol 3 of the UK’s Accession Treaty, and the exercise of EU competences in many areas outside Protocol 3 also impact significantly, directly or indirectly, on Channel islands interests. In the first semester, following the parliamentary announcement, CIBO, with colleagues from Guernsey and Jersey, has  held meetings with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) concerning their report on the Internal Market as a whole; with the FCO (foreign policy); with DEFRA (animal health and welfare and food law); with the Department of Health (health policy); and with HM Treasury (taxation).