Zameer Qureshi, “Brexit: An examination of key developments and their potential influence on European chemical laws,” Environmental Law & Management, Volume 29, Issue 4, 2017.

On 23 June 2016, more than 30 million people voted in a referendum to decide whether the United Kingdom (UK) should ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain’ in the European Union (EU). The referendum turnout was 71.8 per cent and the Leave campaign won by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, making ‘Brexit’ an important and imminent probability, with potentially substantial implications for a range of stakeholders, including the chemicals industry.

Between then and now, there have been significant developments in case law and statute, culminating in the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and the issuing of a White Paper setting out the UK’s strategy for repealing the European Communities Act 1972 (ECA 1972) and ending the supremacy of EU law. The Brexit process and potential outcomes, including ‘knowns and unknowns’, are subject to change and are evolving at an exceptionally rapid pace, and will likely continue to do so. Terminology utilised for important documents and events has changed since the start of the Brexit story in June 2016. Many Brexit-related issues depend significantly or entirely on outcomes of political negotiations, and making any predictions has become a challenging endeavour. The global chemicals industry is well advised, as part of an effort to support regulatory and legal compliance, to monitor regularly news and consultations regarding Brexit