ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained.

This tracker tool tracks and summarises key new and upcoming legislation and consultations in England and Wales linked to water and marine.

Retained EU law (REUL) is a legal concept describing EU-derived rights and legislation preserved by UK law after the end of the Brexit transition or implementation period at 11 pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day).

Assimilated law is the name given to REUL which remains in force after the end of 2023. The re-categorisation of REUL (and associated terms) to assimilated law reflects a change in its status and treatment under UK law, in that it is generally to be interpreted according to ordinary domestic law and principles.

From 1 January 2024, REUL is ‘assimilated’ into domestic law by virtue of the fact it is generally stripped of EU-derived interpretive effects (eg supremacy of EU law, directly effective rights, and general principles previously retained under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018). For more information, see Practice Note: Assimilated law.

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