Although I broke up ... After the UK left the EU, October 23, 16:43
"Britain is free" "Goodbye EU!" In
January, the city of London at the moment of withdrawal was crowded with people seeking withdrawal and was filled with enthusiasm.
The EU parliament also sent Britain out, with its members singing the light of a firefly and mourning goodbye.
Britain and the EU, which had undergone some twists and turns, should have separated in a harmonious manner in the end.
But now they are blaming each other again and deepening their conflict.
(London bureau chief Mari Mukai / London bureau reporter Teruyuki Kurihara / Brussels bureau chief Sho Kudo)
Edge that cannot be cut even if cut
Even if Britain completely leaves the EU and changes from "relatives" to "others," it does not mean that it will be cut off.
The fact that Britain has left the EU is just a name, and the whole thing is a transition period to avoid sudden changes.
Negotiations are underway on what kind of relationships will be built in the fields of society, economy, and security from January next year, when we will truly leave.
One of the most important of these is the conclusion of a "free trade agreement".
Although it is agreed that a tariff-free "free trade agreement" is convenient for both parties, negotiations remain difficult.
The idea of "competitiveness" is that the positions are largely different.
If Britain, which has left the EU, relaxes working conditions and environmental standards at once without being bound by EU rules, and the government subsidizes companies, the competitiveness of British companies will increase. ..
On top of that, if a free trade agreement is signed, a large amount of cheap tariff-free items will enter the EU.
If this happens, the performance of companies in the EU will deteriorate, and it is possible that the number of unemployed will increase.
It can lead to social unrest and a decline in the EU's centripetal force.
For this reason, the EU is calling for various standards to be aligned with the EU in order to have "fair competition".
On the other hand, Britain is pushing the EU's demands, saying, "I'm sorry that I'm still tied to the EU even though I've withdrawn. It's natural to increase my competitiveness."
Deep deep "sea" problem
Both sides are at odds with each other over "fishery rights."
In the waters of England, which was a member of the EU, other member states such as France and the Netherlands were allowed to fish under EU rules.
The EU insists that "it was the United Kingdom that left the EU without permission, and there is no reason to change the rules. We should recognize the fishing rights as before."
But Britain is still not trying to admit, "I've left, so I don't have to be tied to the EU anymore."
For both sides, the ratio of fisheries to GDP = GDP = gross domestic product is not very large.
However, protecting the fisheries that support people's diets has more political and symbolic implications than their actual interests, and neither side can easily compromise.
Further confusion after the "negotiation deadline"
As negotiations stalled, the British side set a deadline for negotiations in September and unilaterally on October 15.
To that end, Prime Minister Johnson first moved.
He submitted a bill to the British Parliament on the most difficult Northern Ireland border issue in the negotiations leading up to the withdrawal, including content that could be dismissed.
The EU rages at this, saying "the promise is different".
We have embarked on legal proceedings with a view to filing a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice.
The offense and defense of both sides will continue.
On the 15th of the deadline, the EU announced a policy to continue negotiations, but at the same time demanded that "the British side must make concessions."
The next day, Prime Minister Johnson issued a statement that Britain would be prepared for a situation where it could not agree on a free trade agreement, unless the EU's stance changed, and tensions rose at a stretch.
On the 21st, both sides agreed to return to the negotiating table, but it is uncertain whether a breakthrough can be found in future negotiations, and the situation remains tense.
The impatient automobile industry
Companies are impatient with this situation.
On October 16th, when Prime Minister Johnson announced that he was ready for a disagreement, a British trade group strongly opposed, saying, "There is no doubt that prosperity can be expected. It will be a devastating blow to everything in Britain." Did.
It is an automobile industry group.
In the UK, where the world's major factories such as Nissan, Toyota and Honda are located, more than half of car exports are destined for the EU.
If a free trade agreement is not signed, a 10% tariff will suddenly be imposed on passenger cars from January next year.
If that happens, the rise in prices will reduce demand and affect the employment of workers, he said.
Japan cannot be irrelevant
About 1000 Japanese companies are operating in the UK.
The automotive industry is not the only one with growing anxiety.
A manufacturer operating in the suburbs of London for half a century, based in the United Kingdom, exports fire alarms to European countries, but has been swayed by the political turmoil surrounding Brexit.
Last year, when the form of withdrawal was uncertain, it was urgently necessary to obtain EU safety certification, and we faced the risk of being unable to export due to delays in examination.
This year, we cannot see the future even just before the end of the transition period.
The EU accounts for 60% of the total, and without an agreement, fire alarms will be subject to tariffs of up to 7%.
Since the burden on some large customers increases by millions of yen, we are concerned that in the worst case, we may lose our business partners.
Yoshiaki Kadokura, President of Fire Alarm Manufacturer
"I'm really thinking about it again. I have to compete with other manufacturers in the same industry in the EU, so I'm very troubled that I can't decide the pricing strategy first. Anyway, I want to confirm it as soon as possible. "
Difficulty not being able to be another person
The real intention is that both the UK and the EU want to continue trading in the same way as they do today.
Both sides have been hit hard by the effects of the new coronavirus, and no further hits will benefit either.
However, Prime Minister Johnson needs to appeal to the public that he has achieved the withdrawal exactly, and the EU, which has members from 27 countries, cannot set a precedent for "getting out" by making big concessions. ..
The general view is that negotiations need to be finalized by early November, taking into account the parliamentary approval process.
Since both of them have raised their fists, how do they find a place to drop them?
The time left for negotiations is not long.
Mari Mukai,
Director of London Bureau
London bureau
reporter Teruyuki Kurihara
Brussels Bureau Chief
Sho Kudo