MEPs and UK parliamentarians gather in Brussels to discuss the state of EU-UK relations and the war in Ukraine. The first meeting of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA), established by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and agreed in December 2020, is opened by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

negotiations on future EU-UK relations (T)

president's agenda

Roberta METSOLA, EP President opens the first EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly meeting

Ambiance of the arrivals of the UK delegation (3 shots)

Sir Oliver HEALD, UK Chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly

Ambiance in the room with the UK delegation

Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Maros SEFCOVIC, EC Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight

Handshake Roberta METSOLA and Sir Oliver HEALD

Katarina BARLEY (S&amp;D,DE) with Baroness Hayter

 Roberta METSOLA , Sir Oliver HEALD and Nathalie LOISEAU (Renew,FR)

Roberta METSOLA, EP President greeting UK delegation (3 shots)

Maros SEFCOVIC, EC Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight

SOUNDBITE (English), Nathalie LOISEAU (Renew, FR), EP Chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, A very warm welcome to all of you. I'm really delighted to welcome you here in the European Parliament for this first meeting of our Parliamentary Partnership Assembly.

SOUNDBITE (English), Sir Oliver HEALD, UK Chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, I'm delighted to be here and to join you at the start of today's meeting. It's taken us some time to get here, and I know that I speak on behalf of my delegation and my parliament is saying we very much welcome the establishment of this forum for inter-parliamentary dialog and we are looking forward to positive if sometimes robust exchanges on the many issues yet to be resolved.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Today it is an honor for me to welcome you, dear colleagues, UK parliamentarians and it is an honor for me to open the first EU UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly established under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement here at the European Parliament

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, This will allow, I believe, this Assembly to hit the road running and will allow us also to tackle together as allies a threat to European values that has emerged from Putin's illegal military invasion of Ukraine

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, Our joint action and outreach have united us, and unquestionably it is in both our interest to maintain a close and lasting cooperation in addressing common additional challenges with regards to economics, trade, financial services and energy in an increasingly unstable world.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, With regard to Northern Ireland today, as a lawyer, I say that the United Kingdom's territorial integrity is fundamentally undisputed. This is not in question. This is understood regardless of the outcome of the recent elections

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, The 1998 Good Friday Agreement had brokered peace after years of life threatening troubles is law. All legal agreements to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland while protecting the integrity of the European Union, single market must be respected and renegotiating the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland is not an option for the European Union

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, The EU and the UK are friends with the same interests at heart. Let us kick off these two day Parliamentary Assembly meetings. Let our Parliaments embark on a trustful and lasting partnership. Applaus

SOUNDBITE (English), Maro&#353; &#352;EF&#268;OVI&#268;, Partnership Assembly was something that we pushed for very strongly during negotiations on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. And so I'm indeed delighted that it became operational. The establishment of the EU UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly means that all bodies foreseen in the TCA institutional framework are now up and running.

SOUNDBITE (English), Maro&#353; &#352;EF&#268;OVI&#268;, I think it is worthwhile underlining once again that the DCA is not. And can never be a replacement for the EU membership

SOUNDBITE (English), Maro&#353; &#352;EF&#268;OVI&#268;, As a result is no longer as frictionless and as dynamic as before. The Commission has nevertheless been working and will continue to work to support the people and businesses most affected by Brexit across the EU.

SOUNDBITE (English), HON. Michael ELLIS, UK Minister for the Cabinet Office, This forum is an important part of the governance that supports the new UK EU relationship, but it is also a link between democratic representatives and the people that we serve.