International trade involves a multitude of highly technical issues, many of them covered by WTO and other international agreements. From technical standards to Rules of Origin to investment regulations, the UK will need to develop its own policy positions and operational procedures.
Our Thematic Issues section presents current thinking on some of the most important issues the UK and its trade partners will face after Brexit.
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Politicians and commentators talk in general terms about the prospect of the UK’s negotiating a lot of individual trade agreements with other countries once Brexit has taken effect. Such trade agreements are commonly referred to as preferential or “free trade” agreements (FTAs). They are preferential in the sense that the countries that sign up to […]
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The theory Paul Krugman once wrote that if there were ever to be an Economists’ Creed, its first two points would be: (i) I believe in free trade and (ii) I understand the principle of comparative advantage. The latter supports the former. The theory predicts that countries are better off if they specialise in goods […]
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Model Behaviour: Understanding some recent debates on the UK’s trade prospects after Brexit. Brexit has managed to make trade modelling trendy. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But at least it has brought it out of the academic journals and into the broadsheets. The latest sparring has seen claims that the civil service’s trade modelling is unduly […]
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This briefing paper summarises two issues that a post-Brexit United Kingdom would face if it re-joined the European Economic Area (EEA). It introduces the concept of a ‘regulatory union’ and discusses Rules of Origin.
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This article examines the possibilities for maintaining some of the benefits of the EU Customs Union and Single Market for key sectors.
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Consumers face many challenges post-Brexit. This briefing paper addresses issues of trade policy and consumer interests.
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Observations on the Nexus Between Trade Law and Domestic Regulation from TKE partner, Frontier Economics.
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Michael Gasoirek and Peter Holmes from UKTPO discuss the complications around getting agreement on grandfathering with FTA partner countries, and the role of key issues such as Rules of Origin, Most Favoured Nation clauses, mutual recognition, and tariff-rate quotas.
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Trade preferences are one of the issues that lie at the nexus between trade and development. This article discusses the Generalised Schedule of Preferences and some related issues for the UK to consider post-Brexit.
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Michael Johnson, former UK Government trade negotiator and Advisor on International Trade Policy, answers the questions: What are trade remedies, why do we need them and how do they work?
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