Brexit
Moving to WTO terms carries major economic health warning for UK
The UK may be moving closer to trading with the EU on World Trade Organisation terms, but that could carry a major additional economic hit as London faces up to the costs of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Brexit stalemate explained
Nearly four years after the UK voted to leave the European Union, we are back to a familiar conundrum: deal or no deal. Except that this time we are talking about the trade agreement that will govern future EU-UK relations....
Barnier: Britain not automatically entitled to any trade benefits
The European Union's Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said on Wednesday (20 May) that Britain was not automatically entitled to any benefits that the bloc had previously granted to other partners on trade.
UK accepts customs checks in plans for Northern Ireland protocol
The UK has accepted that there will be new checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK, according to the plans it set out on Wednesday (20 May) to implement the controversial protocol on the province
EU meat and cars will face tariffs in no-deal scenario, warns UK
The UK will slap tariffs on EU meat and cars from January 2021 if a new trade agreement with the bloc is not finalised by the end of the year, Boris Johnson’s government said on Tuesday (19 May).
British MPs vote for new post-Brexit immigration system
British MPs on Monday (18 May) gave their initial backing to legislation ending free movement of workers with the European Union, but the vote was overshadowed by a row over foreign healthcare staff and coronavirus.
EU-UK talks on the brink after both sides blame each other for ‘disappointing’ round
Talks on a post-Brexit trade deal between the EU and the UK appear to be on the brink of collapse after the chief negotiators from the two sides blamed each other on Friday (15 May) r for the ‘stalemate’ at the heart of the talks.
Divisions open over ‘lower agriculture standards’ in future US-UK pact
Divisions have opened within the UK government following reports that Boris Johnson’s administration is preparing to offer increased access to the UK market for US agriculture exports and possibly lower the bar on environmental and health standards.
The Brief, powered by IPA Europe – Deal or no deal, the Irish question remains
With a month until Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen agree on whether an EU-UK trade pact can be finalised this year, it is hard to find anyone who thinks a ‘no deal’ scenario is not the odds-on favourite. Progress has been, to be kind, minimal, and the UK shows no interest in extending the talks beyond the end of its post-Brexit transition period in December.
French, Dutch join forces to urge EU to show teeth on trade
France and the Netherlands have joined forces to urge the European Union to enforce environmental and labour standards more forcefully with countries the bloc signs trade deals with, according to a document seen by Reuters.
UK to blame hard Brexit on COVID-19, warns EU trade chief
The United Kingdom is preparing to walk away from trade talks with the EU and blame the impasse on the coronavirus pandemic, EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan said on Thursday (7 May)
As EU negotiations stall, London opens talks on US trade pact
The UK and US on Tuesday (5 May) kicked off the first round of talks on a trade deal which London has made a priority following its exit from the EU. The talks with Washington are set to run alongside post-Brexit trade negotiations with the EU.
The Brief, powered by IndustriAll Europe – Another leap into the unknown
While most of Britain and Europe remain understandably preoccupied with the coronavirus, talks on a future EU-UK trade deal have been largely ignored. But there are less than two months until a summit where Boris Johnson and EU leaders will decide whether a deal can be reached this year, and the UK appears to be in no rush.
Divided and running out of time: Why the EU-UK trade talks have stalled, again
23 June will mark the fourth anniversary of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. But while the UK has officially been out of the bloc since 31 January, the talks on future relations underscore how little has changed in those years.
COVID crisis should ‘concentrate EU minds’ on Brexit deal, says UK minister
The UK minister in charge of post-Brexit trade with the EU insisted on Monday (27 April) that it is “entirely possible” to have a deal by end of December 2020 and that the tight timeline should 'concentrate' minds, brushing aside a recent critical assessment from Brussels.
Barnier: UK is derailing post-Brexit trade pact
A frustrated Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, came close to accusing London of derailing talks on a future EU-UK trade pact on Friday (24 April), warning that there were “serious difficulties ahead” if a ‘no deal’ scenario is to be avoided in two months’ time
EU hopes for tangible progress in Brexit talks by June
The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator said after the first day of renewed talks with Britain that the bloc is aiming for "tangible progress" by June on the shape of a new relationship before London severs its ties with the bloc at the end of the year.
Britain turns to Eastern Europe, and charter flights, to save its crops
To save fields of asparagus and strawberries threatened with rotting, Britain is mobilising a workforce of students, the unemployed -- and workers from Europe.
UK doubles down on Brexit threat, hints WTO terms offer more ‘flexibility’
Boris Johnson’s government doubled-down on Thursday (16 April) on its threat to walk away from the EU Single Market this year if a deal on a successor trade pact cannot be reached. It hinted that trading with the EU on World Trade Organisation terms would give the UK more ‘flexibility’ to manage the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Keir Starmer elected new UK Labour leader
Pro-European centrist Keir Starmer was on Saturday (4 April) unveiled as new Labour party leader, heralding a shift in Britain's main opposition party after a crushing election defeat under veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn and years of ideological infighting.
Negotiating a new EU-UK partnership in challenging times
It is now nearly two months since the United Kingdom left the European Union. It left with the legal certainty and clarity provided by the Withdrawal Agreement and the accompanying Political Declaration, writes MEP David McAllister.
UK ‘putting Brexit over breathing’ as Johnson opts out of EU COVID scheme
The UK government has been accused of ‘putting Brexit over breathing’ after it confirmed it had opted out of an EU joint procurement scheme for urgently needed medical equipment to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Macron threatens UK entry ban in lieu of more stringent measures
French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to close France's border with Britain on Friday if Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to take more stringent measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, a French newspaper reported.