• Europe, France threatens to veto Brexit trade deal

  • Brexit: Fishing quotas get in the way of the trade deal

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The Brexit negotiation has had two phases.

The first, which lasted more than two years, had three extensions, took two prime ministers ahead and split the country in half, was the exit.

On January 31, it materialized, but not completely.

This

2020 has been a Transition Period

, 11 months in which the United Kingdom has had to respect EU laws, pay the bills and continue under the umbrella of the Court of Justice.

A strange fix, with friction, but the only solution that was possible to reach to avoid disaster

.

In that period that was from March 2017 to November 2019, there was only time to discuss how to leave, not how we are going to get along in the future.

The second phase started in February, and has been marked by the pandemic, by videoconferences and enormous obstacles.

It has been

a commercial negotiation

, like those that were closed in the past with Canada or Japan, but instead of seven or 10 years it should have been seven to 10 months.

The objective was to

avoid tariffs, favor exchanges, avoid unfair competition

.

The EU has remained a bloc, although in many respects the differences to 27 have emerged much more clearly than in the exit phase.

But the big difference has been in London.

Boris Johnson has enjoyed a much more stable parliamentary majority and much better pressure, which has allowed his team to work much more calmly than those sent by Theresa May.

THE THREE KEYS TO THE EXIT PHASE

The exit phase was marked by

three particularly difficult issues

: money, citizens' rights and the situation in Northern Ireland.

The first shocks came precisely because of the bill, as

London assured that it would not pay the tens of billions of euros

that according to the Commission's calculations corresponded to it for all the long-term programs in which it is committed or the contributions for pensions of community officials.

Overcome the moment of bravado, Theresa May accepted and the question was left behind.

The second row, very controversial, was that of

citizens' rights when Brexit was consummated

, since there are millions of British in Europe and millions of Europeans in the United Kingdom.

It was not easy, it was not entirely satisfactory, but the rights of those who have lived there for years and those who have moved before the end of 2020 were guaranteed. Of course, through a series of obligatory and uncomfortable administrative procedures, with thousands of dramas personal, and assuming that

the situation has changed forever

, since there is no longer a European Union for everyone and the same freedom of movement.

The third issue, which monopolized or nearly the last year of the negotiation and cost May her job, was that of

Northern Ireland

.

How to respect the Northern Ireland Peace Accords, how to avoid hard borders, how to avoid leaving the area in an anomalous situation.

A very delicate technical compromise was achieved, already with Johnson, which in theory gives Northern Ireland a particular status within the UK, and which involves electronic controls and a lot of good faith.

It seemed resolved, but a few months ago London unilaterally decided to carry out some legislative projects that in practice turn the agreement around.

The Government recognized that it was a

violation of international treaties

, but they have not finished backtracking.

The negotiation of the future relationship has been politically marked by that fear.

The whole agreement is based on faith, mutual trust, and

in Brussels it has become clear that London has and will not have a problem breaking their word

.

And that is a huge problem that requires double and triple guarantees for the coming years.

THE PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE RELATIONSHIP

This 2020 has been marked by three very specific problems as well and very different from the previous ones: the so-called governance, the 'level-playing field' and fishing.

The

Governance

means, in practice, how disputes will be resolved.

The Court of Justice of the EU will no longer be the last instance

.

There will no longer be an equal last instance, and the composition of arbitration tribunals cannot be left up in the air.

Intermediate, agreed solutions have been sought, defining the processes and what mechanisms are activated according to what circumstances.

But there are more than well founded doubts.

The second question is that of the

'level-playing field'

, an expression in English that comes to say the rules of the game.

This is: that there is

a healthy but fair competition between both blocks

.

This trade agreement with the UK is unique in nature.

Because it means distancing oneself from what there was, and not getting closer, as is normal.

And because it is the

first time that the EU has signed something like this with such a close power

.

It is not Japan, Canada or Singapore, but a power on the other side of the Channel.

And there are very strong fears of unfair competition.

The negotiation has tried to square the circle: for the UK to be free, independent and sovereign, but not to become a tax haven or to dump a few miles away.

With more relaxed standards in labor rights, taxes or environmental requirements.

The third issue, the one that has been the most problematic in recent weeks, is

fishing and fishing grounds

.

The issue has run aground.

The United Kingdom did not want to give access to its fishing grounds and the 27 said that without that there would be no agreement.

There have been months and months of tug of war, quotas, limits

.

The UK is not a fishing nation and there are many species, such as mackerel and herring, that are not consumed there, but are consumed on the Continent.

London demanded to recover 80% of the quota

, a damage of more than 500 million euros for the fishermen of the Union.

The EU offered around 15%.

The irritation in France was very strong

.

A matter of real interest, satiety, national politics.

That is why Emmanuel Macron began to slide the veto option, warning Johnson that the issue is more than delicate and they would not allow abuses.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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