- The main benefit is that it creates clarity in trade relations and provides predictability for the 6,000 Swedish companies that trade with the UK.
70,000 people in Sweden who go to work every day thanks to exports to the UK, says Foreign Trade Minister Anna Hallberg (S), at a press conference.
The fact that the agreement is completely duty-free and quota-free makes it easier for Sweden and other EU countries.
- The EU has no other trade agreement that removes all tariffs, that is a welcome message.
Consumers avoid higher prices, says Hallberg.
She also emphasizes that it is positive that services and public procurement are included in the agreement, which gives Swedish companies the opportunity to compete on equal terms with British ones.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Permanent Council President Charles Michel signed the recently negotiated trade agreement with the United Kingdom on Wednesday morning.
The agreement will now be flown to London in a British military aircraft to be signed by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Gets more complicated
On 31 December, the United Kingdom will leave the EU's internal market and customs union.
As the parties were able to agree on the future trade relations for the eleventh hour, the duty- and quota-free trade in goods can now continue without interruption after the turn of the year.
- They have been one of our closest allies in many matters.
We must remember that it is not something that gets better or easier when the UK leaves the EU - it will be more complicated for companies in both the UK and the EU, says EU Minister Hans Dahlgren (S).
The European Parliament will not approve the agreement before the turn of the year, but until Parliament has said yes, the agreement will apply provisionally.