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 […]
Read moreMichael Johnson
Unscrambling Trade Remedies in Brexit
In its recently released White Paper on the future relationship between the EU and UK, the government has committed to developing an independent regime for trade remedies. It has also committed to examining the current EU regime for trade remedies, in order to identify which elements in that regime should be carried over by the […]
Read moreA “Backstop” Solution for the Irish Border Problem?
There are four months to go until the European Union’s October 2018 deadline for finalisation of a Brexit withdrawal agreement which can be put to the member states for ratification, and nine months until March 29 2019 when the UK, according to its withdrawal notification, will cease to be a member state. Meanwhile the complexity […]
Read moreHow can the UK be most effective in its new role as an independent member of the WTO?
WTO membership and the European Union It is commonly (and loosely) said either that at the point of withdrawal from the European Union the United Kingdom will need to join the WTO as an independent member; or that the UK will resume its original WTO seat as an independent member. Neither proposition is strictly true. […]
Read moreThe Shifting Focus of International Trade Negotiations
Originally international trade agreements were about reducing tariffs on trade in goods, but with growing globalisation and since the Tokyo Round Agreements in 1973 non-tariff issues such as standards, investment and employment rights have become equally, or more, important in negotiation both multilaterally and in regional associations.
Read moreShow Me the Money
Show me the Money: Prospects for United Kingdom and EU cooperation on Financial Services post-Brexit Draft Guidelines for the second phase of Brexit negotiations were submitted to the European Council on 7 March 2018, for adoption on 23 March. In them the EU lays down tight limits for negotiation of the UK’s withdrawal agreement and […]
Read moreTrump Tariffs on Steel and Aluminium
President Trump announced on 1 March that he would impose tariffs respectively of 25% and 10% on US imports of steel and aluminium. The backdrop to this dramatic action is of course the longstanding decline in US steel production, together with the sustained impact on world steel markets of Chinese overcapacity in the sector. The […]
Read moreReflections on the Road to Brexit
Theresa May’s latest major speech on the United Kingdom Government’s Brexit policy developed a pattern already established in her speeches delivered at Lancaster House, London and in Florence during 2017. Mrs. May was much criticised for the lack of practical detail in those earlier speeches about what the UK’s future trading relationship with the remaining […]
Read moreBrexit and The Irish Border Issue
During the run-up to the UK referendum on European Union membership in June 2016 the difficulties which Brexit might cause in political, economic and administrative relations between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic were recognised, but not seriously considered. Since then the issue of Brexit and the Irish border – how to avoid creating some […]
Read moreA Tremendous Increase in UK-US Trade after Brexit?
US-UK Trade: what’s in IT? At the World Economic Forum meeting at Davos in January 2018 President Trump forecast a “tremendous” increase in trade between the US and the United Kingdom, presumably following Brexit. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested that the UK would be at the head of the queue for a new trade […]
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