On 24th and 25th April, Chris had meetings in Brussels with the Chief Negotiator for the European Parliament on Brexit. He challenged Mr Verhofstadt on the need for future trade relations between the UK and the EU to be at the heart of the Article 50 negotiations. Chris also met members of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) to discuss the implications for the UK of EFTA membership outside the EEA. As a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee Chris was pleased to be told that the EU will only negotiate with the UK as a whole and not with Scotland separately.