Could the future relationship between the UK and the EU take on a Canadian flavour? That is the proposal put forward by Boris Johnson in the run up to the Conservative Party’s conference. In an article on 28 September, he called for a “SuperCanada” agreement as the model the UK and the EU should adopt […]
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Along with the Irish border, the question of free movement was one of the seemingly intractable questions at the recent EU summit in Salzburg. Put simply the EU does not want to convey the impression that it is possible for the UK – or any other member -to give up a commitment to this key […]
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The resolution of the Irish border question has been presented as one of the trickiest issues to resolve before the UK and the EU can reach agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement between the two. This was underscored at the recent informal EU Council summit at Salzburg, at which the UK described the European Commission’s approach […]
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At the end of its informal meeting held in Salzburg, the president of the EU Council announced that he would like to call a special summit for the weekend of 17/18 November 2018. Its aim would be to allow the EU and the UK to reach an agreement on the terms of the latter’s departure […]
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US and the Iran nuclear deal President Trump is reimposing the full range of United States economic and trade sanctions against Iran following his unilateral decision in May 2018 to pull the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the so-called Iran nuclear deal). That deal was reached with Iran in July 2015 […]
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On 24 July 2018 the United Kingdom submitted to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) draft new national schedules of tariffs and equivalent charges on UK imports of goods, to come into effect when the UK leaves the European Union. Their contents will become public in due course. For now they are confidential to WTO member […]
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Introduction The UK Government’s long-awaited White Paper setting out a negotiating position on post-Brexit trade and other relations with the European Union was published on July 12 2018. Previous Government statements on these issues mostly expressed generalised aspirations for the UK’s future relations with the Union and with other trade partners world-wide. The White Paper […]
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We present the main points discussed by Professor L Alan Winters, Lord O’Donnell and Amar Breckenridge at a Trade Knowledge Exchange Webinar on 20 July. A full recording of the session can be accessed here. 1. A grand political bargain The White Paper is a negotiating text in two ways. Firstly, it sets out the […]
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Throughout the Brexit process an eventual “No deal” situation has been held out to the public of the United Kingdom variously as a horror scenario or as a launch-pad for future national development. The prospects of a “No deal” outcome, and the conflicting views as to what it means, have been expressed with considerable force […]
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The White Paper released by the UK Government on 12 July 2018 deals primarily with the UK’s relationship to the EU. In keeping with previous statements and papers, it seeks a deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU. But it also sets out the UK’s ambition to develop its own independent trade policy […]
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