Jarek Wisniewski

Our Chair @lordrickettsp.bsky.social and several of our Members are members of the UK delegation to the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly (PPA) and taking part in the Assembly's sixth meeting today & tomorrow at Westminster. 📺 Watch live on youtube 🔽

If you are puzzled by the proliferating EU demands for UK cash as part of the reset process I will try to see through the fog on BBC Radio 4 PM Programme at around 1730 (or later on BBC Sounds)!

An interesting aspect of the European Affairs Committee's work is its scrutiny role, in particular its examination of the Government’s Explanatory Memoranda.

Below are examples of correspondence with the Government, focusing on UK-EU negotiations on the Youth Experiences Scheme, SPS and ETS

European Affairs Committee - Publications - Committees - UK Parliament Publications for European Affairs Committee

After publishing our UK-EU reset report on Weds, we've sent 2 scrutiny letters to the Gov re: youth experience scheme & SPS & ETS linkage negotiations—especially re: UK financial contributions, & plans re: EU CBAM start on 1/1/26. See all our publications 🔽 committees.parliament.uk/committee/51...

Thanks to the FT for quoting me on the Lords European Affairs Cttee report. But as I understand the outcome of the Brussels debate on money, a UK contribution to EU cohesion funds w’d only be sought for future access to the Internal Market, not for SPS/ETS deals. This is good news. t.co/8UqLZ7bGn4

📢 We have published our report, ‘Is Working from Home Working?’

We found that hybrid working has the potential to be the "best of both worlds", but only if it is well managed.

committees.parliament.uk/committee/77...

Ten months, 15 oral evidence sessions, 82 written submissions. Fantastic witnesses representing a wide range of views and a report that, somewhat unsurprisingly, asks many questions about the future of the UK-EU relationship.

The Chair @lordrickettsp.bsky.social outlined the key issues below

Lots of nuggets in there on the EU-UK relationship - and lots of room for closer cooperation.

It’s out! Here’s @LordsEUCom Report ‘Unfinished Business: resetting the UK- EU relationship’. The Gov’t have made a strong start, esp on security and defence, but there’s still much to do in turning aspirations and goodwill into workable agreements 1/8
publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ld...

📢 We've published our report on the UK-EU reset - the 1st assessment by a parliamentary committee of the Government's progress so far ⬇️ committees.parliament.uk/committee/51...

Yesterday, before the Everton-Fulham kick-off #LestWeForget

Last week, the @houseoflords.parliament.uk European Affairs Committee was honoured to host a joint meeting with the European Affairs Committee from the French Senate. Following the meeting the respective chairs, @lordrickettsp.bsky.social and Senator Jean-François Rapin, co-signed a Joint Statement

The European Affairs Committee is now on Bluesky

🌌Our report, 'The Space Economy: Act Now or Lose Out' makes recommendations to the Government about UK space policy.

📜You can read a summary of our findings here: ukparliament.shorthandstories.com/UK-engagemen...

📺Watch a video summary of our report ⬇️

One rarely gets to hear a former NATO Sec Gen, a former EU High Rep, former National Security Advisers, Permanent Secretaries of the Foreign Office and Chiefs of Defence staff in one debate. All with one bipartisan message of support for Ukraine.

📖Hansard: hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-1...

Delighted to make the first ever visit of a Lord Speaker to Poland, hosted by the Marshal of the Senate, Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska. Together we hope to build on our two countries’ deep ties 🤝 through ongoing parliamentary cooperation and engagement

By the river #FFC

Iranian drone used by Russia to attack Ukraine (Porcullis House, Palace of Westminster)

The Committee has published a unanimous report today on Northern Ireland after Brexit: Strengthening Northern Ireland's voice in the context of the Windsor Framework. The Committee warns that efforts to mitigate the democratic deficit in NI after Brexit remain insufficient. 1/6

Urgent action needed to fix overwhelmingly complex Windsor Framework arrangements, Lords Committee warn - Committees - UK Parliament Today the Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee publishes its first report following its inquiry on Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Voice in the Context of the Windsor Framework, issuing a strong...

The House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee has just published an excellent report, summarising Committee inquiry into Strengthening Northern Ireland’s Voice in the Context of the Windsor Framework

committees.parliament.uk/committee/76...

If you ever wondered where the term “usual channels” comes from, in 1905, PM Arthur Balfour used it in a response to a parliamentary question, asking MPs to communicate with a colleague “through the usual channels”.

A perfect read for parliamentary geeks ( & as a pub quiz prep!)

That other football, with reasonable VAR

This, by @shaunwalker7.bsky.social, is excellent. At times, it reads like a spy novel akin to John le Carré.

Highly recommended!

Saturday, sun, football by the river

An extremely important report from the House of Lords International Agreements Committee looking into parliamentary scrutiny of international treaties and agreements.

Worth noting that IAC is the only parliamentary body dedicated to treaty scrutiny.

📖 publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ld...

Green graphic with portcullis logo and green background. An image of the House of Commons Chamber is overlayed in a green and beige colourway

🔴Shadow Defence Secretary, James Cartlidge MP is asking an urgent question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the violation of Poland’s airspace by Russian drones.

Watch live ⬇️
parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

‘Huge number of Russian drones’ violated our airspace, says Poland’s PM – follow live Tusk says that those which posed a threat were shot down as Zelenskyy says incursion sets ‘extremely dangerous precedent for Europe’

A good day to follow @theguardian.com Europe Live for reliable information about Polish (and not only) reactions to the overnight violations of Polish airspace by Russian drones.
@jakubkrupa.bsky.social provides helpful translations from 🇵🇱 incl political context

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Poland shoots down drones over its territory amid Russian attack on Ukraine, prime minister says Donald Tusk says operation launched after ‘repeated violations of Polish airspace’

Poland said it scrambled its own & Nato air defences to shoot down drones over its territory after repeated violations of its airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine

The first time in the war that Warsaw has engaged Russian assets in its airspace.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

This is a very good piece on the growing tensions and competing foreign policy visions between the Polish President and Prime Minister.

An excellent discussion on recruitment and hiring