Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Sunday, June 26, 2022
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Europe

The UK and the EU — what’s the relationship post Brexit?

Jason Ward by Jason Ward
5 January 2022
in Europe, Uncategorised
London unveils its post-EU ‘Global Britain’ foreign policy
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

London (BrusselsMorning) After 47 years of membership, the UK officially left the European Union on 31 January, 2020. Although it departed without a trade deal, a last-minute Trade and Cooperation Agreement was signed on Christmas Eve, 2020, just a week before the ‘’transition period’’ ended on 31 December.

The UK is now free of the EU and its regulations, and everything should, by rights, have been be sorted by now. Boris Johnson and other Brexiteers had claimed that leaving the bloc would be simple. That is clearly not the case, yet it hasn’t been the disaster Remainers feared it would be either. So, what is the EU-UK relationship now, and how does the future look?

How do things stand at present?

At present, matters are not ideal for either side. Far from being over, negotiations and acrimony continue. Progress is being made, but it is taking considerably longer than expected.

The current agreement, which allows for free trade between the UK and the EU, is beneficial for all involved, especially since Europe is the UK’s prime trading partner. Goods can flow in either direction without tariffs or quotas. However, given that the UK no longer has to follow EU regulations, there are increased technical barriers, costs, and paperwork. These are causing considerable problems and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

One sticking point is the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed in 2019 to avoid having a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  As things currently stand, goods can move freely between the two, but goods coming from the rest of the UK need to be checked to ensure their compliance with EU regulations.

This has created backlogs and delays for NI, and since the country imports a lot of goods from the rest of the UK, this has been problematic. The result has been empty supermarket shelves and problems getting essentials like medicine. But the negotiations continue, and progress is being made.

Similarly, the new regulatory checks have made it harder for the UK to access the EU Single Market for services. This is a significant issue for the UK as services constitute around 80% of the UK economy. Again, while it is more complicated, it is not impossible, and discussions and regulatory changes to make access easier are ongoing.

However, foreign policy and defence have been negatively impacted. While some international agreements continue, mutual cooperation has generally suffered. With terrorism a major concern, this is a worrying development, but one that is likely to evolve as situations change and new threats arise.

Looking to the future, more cooperation is needed

It is hard to tell for certain how things will proceed in the immediate future. While talks and negotiations continue, the rhetoric on both sides is getting stronger and could cause problems. Although the UK is now separate from the EU, the bloc remains its main trading partner. So, even though the UK no longer has to obey EU regulations, the likelihood is that nothing much will change.

How the EU deals with countries that border it, such as Norway and Switzerland, gives some indication of the future. Deals can be made, and agreements reached. The important thing is continued discussion. It is in everyone’s interest for the kinks to be ironed out, so it is crucial that everyone involved keeps talking nicely to each other.

Tags: Brussels LatestMain-Slideruk_euWestminster Review

Latest post

Mont,De,Marsan,Landes,France,05,17,2019,Eurofighter,Typhoon

German MTU hopes for new contracts in Luftwaffe overhaul

1 day ago
Flags,Of,Moldova,European,Union,And,Ukraine

Supporting Moldova means supporting stability in Ukraine

2 days ago

Most Read

  • These are the 10 highest paying jobs in the Europe in 2022

    These are the 10 highest paying jobs in the Europe in 2022

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What Are The Highest Paying Jobs In Luxembourg?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Energy Recovery Fund

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What Are The Highest Paying Jobs In Finland?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A taste of Croatian flavors of the diplomacy in Brussels

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • EU Institutions
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Member States
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT