Advocate General’s Opinion in Opinion procedure 2/15. Advocate General Sharpston considers that the Singapore Free Trade Agreement can only be concluded by the European Union and the Member States acting jointly

In an advisory opinion issued on the 21 December 2016 the ECJ's Advocate General Sharpston considered that the Singapore Free Trade Agreement can only be concluded by the European Union and the Member States acting jointly. Not all parts of the agreement fell within the EU’s exclusive competence and therefore the agreement cannot be concluded without the participation of all of the Member States.

A final judgement in the case would be given by the European Court of Justice in the spring of 2017.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Shared powers: the elephant in the room in the division of powers-debate http://www.europeansources.info/record/shared-powers-the-elephant-in-the-room-in-the-division-of-powers-debate/

ESO: Opinion 2/15 on the scope of EU external trade policy: Some background information before next week’s hearing http://www.europeansources.info/record/opinion-2-15-on-the-scope-of-eu-external-trade-policy-some-background-information-before-next-weeks-hearing/

Blog: Open Europe, 21.12.16: What might legal case over EU-Singapore trade deal mean for Brexit? http://openeurope.org.uk/today/blog/what-might-legal-case-on-eu-singapore-deal-mean-for-uk/

Politico, 21.12.16: ECJ advocate-general: Trade deals require national parliaments’ approval http://www.politico.eu/article/ecj-advocate-general-trade-deals-require-national-parliaments-approval/

The Guardian, 21.12.16: EU lawyer says all members must approve sweeping trade deals https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/21/eu-lawyer-members-must-approve-sweeping-trade-deals-brexit

EUObserver, 21.12.16: Singapore deal needs national approval, EU lawyer says https://euobserver.com/economic/136378

Blog: EU Law Analysis, 21.12.16: The EU's future trade policy starts to take shape: the Opinion on the EU/Singapore FTA http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/the-eus-future-trade-policy-starts-to.html

EurActiv, 22.12.16: Future of EU trade deals in doubt over Singapore ruling http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/future-of-eu-trade-deals-in-doubt-over-singapore-ruling/

Greenpeace: EU Unit: Press Release, 21.12.16: EU Advocate General opinion on EU-Singapore deal has wide implications for EU trade agenda http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/en/News/2016/Advocate-General-opinion-EU-Singapore-deal/

Blog: Institute for Government, 21.12.16: ECJ ruling makes future UK-EU trade deal harder https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/ecj-ruling-makes-future-uk-eu-trade-deal-harder

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