On Wednesday 29 March 2023, Dr. Christy Ann Petit, Deputy Director of the DCU Brexit Institute, participated in the meeting of the European Committee of the Regions – UK Contact Group. 

The meeting focused on the state of implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). It was also an opportunity to discuss recent and current developments on the Northern Ireland Protocol following the Windsor Framework, as well as to exchange on best-practice examples and the scope for cooperation between EU and UK local and regional authorities.

At the end of the meeting, the members of the CoR-UK Contact Group released a statement on the Windsor Framework. They call for EU and UK cooperation in the fields of research and education, environment and to support refugees from Ukraine, as well as to promote educational exchanges across the Channel. The members of the Contact Group also stressed the importance of involving both local and regional authorities in key decisions affecting their territories.