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- Chris Morris
- BBC News fact-check reporter
Image source,EPA
EU and UK reach post-Brexit free trade agreement before Christmas Eve 2020
In the last minute before Christmas Eve 2020, the UK and the European Union finally reached a package of deals that included a bilateral post-Brexit trade deal about a week before the end of the Brexit transition period. This marks a new chapter in the relationship between the UK and the EU.
When news of the deal came, British Prime Minister Johnson declared that “we have regained our autonomy”, while EU President Von der Lein was “relieved”, he also felt a bit “sad” about the loss. from the former EU member, Great Britain. .
The experts pointed out that the greatest importance of the trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union is to avoid the greater confusion that the absence of an agreement can cause during the pandemic. It is reported that the specific content of the agreement will be made public in the coming days.
People familiar with the situation said the legal text of the agreement is hundreds of pages long, so experts and the media will also need time to digest and interpret it after it is announced.
The importance of the agreement that defines the future relationship between the UK and the EU is clear. The BBC is trying to take stock of the top ten issues that most concern the public.
1. Fishing
The biggest difficulty during the negotiations between the UK and the EU is: how many EU fishing vessels will be available in the future and how will they enter UK waters to operate? If there is a transition period, how long will the transition period last? The UK representative who participated in the negotiations said the UK initially requested that the EU fisheries indicators be lowered by 80% from the first time based on the value of commodities, while the starting point for the EU negotiations it was cut by 18%. Once the details of the deal are announced, people will know what concessions the two sides have made in the fisheries sector.
Image source,EPA
Although fishing accounts for a small proportion of the British economy, it has great public opinion and symbolic significance. It was once a big problem in the negotiations between Britain and Europe.
2. “Fair competition”
Future “fair competition” rules between the UK and the EU are also a major challenge for negotiations. In the EU negotiations, there was a particular concern that the UK would not gain an “unfair” competitive advantage in terms of labor regulations, environmental protection, state subsidies to businesses and financial support, while the UK was unwilling. to remain “included” in EU rules in the future. It weakens our competitiveness. In the details of the deal, experts will focus on how to define “reasonable and appropriate” state subsidies and financial support for businesses.
3. Dispute resolution
The experts noted that negotiations in this area have only just begun. People will be concerned with how the agreement sets out the dispute resolution procedures and the steps that can be taken when one of the parties violates the terms. For example, if the UK introduces policies and regulations that are quite different from the EU in the future, how long will the EU have to wait before it can take countermeasures? Or does the EU have the right to impose tariffs on certain goods or services and other measures against the UK?
Image source,fake images
The Southampton port freighter is full of British-made cars ready for export to the EU
4. Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ)
How the UK will view European Court decisions in the future will also be a big problem. The Court of Justice of the European Union will remain the highest legal arbitration body in the EU. The UK has made it clear that final adjudicating power will return in future and that the European Court of Justice will no longer be binding on UK law. Experts want to know more about whether the Court of Justice of the European Union will continue to play a role in the relationship between the UK and the EU in the future.
Image source,fake images
In normal years, millions of Britons would choose to vacation by the sea in southern Europe.
Ordinary Britons may be more concerned about whether they can continue to travel freely to EU countries on holidays after January 1, 2021. In normal years, millions of Britons will choose to go to the beaches of southern European countries such as Spain, Portugal , Italy, Greece and Cyprus. People in this regard will be specifically concerned about the form of visa-free transit, medical insurance, and car insurance while traveling.
6. Financial services
The financial services industry is Britain’s strength and one of its biggest export projects. The new deal is reported to focus primarily on cross-border commodity transactions and there isn’t much content in the service industry. People are concerned whether the EU will issue a separate statement acknowledging that the current UK financial services regulations are basically “the same” as the EU regulations. If so, it means that it will be much easier for UK financial services companies to continue operating in the EU market.
7. Data market
For a large number of UK companies that process data from EU countries, whether the EU will recognize that UK data protection regulations are basically ‘equivalent’ to EU regulations is also an important point to consider. . Most British companies are waiting for the EU to have the above statement, but they are also eagerly awaiting more specific details of the deal.
8. Product quality
Most experts admit that in the future, when the UK negotiates with the EU, there will be more cumbersome procedures and procedures for border freight clearance than in the past. What worries people the most on this issue is whether the new agreement has detailed clauses that reduce artificial complexity. For example, if the two parties are willing to accept the “compliance” of the other’s products in order to minimize the inspection procedures that must be carried out at the border.
9. Professional certification
For many professionals, from accountants to chefs, in the past, only one country’s certification was required to travel through countries within the EU. Many British professionals want to know whether the EU will continue to recognize British professional certification in the future. If there are new restrictions, what are the details of the restrictions?
10. Security
Once the Brexit transition period is over, not only will the UK be independent from the EU in terms of laws, trade, immigration and other policies, but even the previous security information exchange system will be quasi-decoupled. The British judicial system has long been able to obtain information from the police and other public safety agencies, such as wanted criminals, fingerprints, criminal records, etc., from databases in other EU countries. How the UK and the EU will continue to cooperate on security protection in the future is also a matter of concern to all parties.
Image source,fake images
Europol ‘wanted offenders’ calendar for 2016
Of course, in addition to the ten highlights above, people must have more concerns and problems with the agreement reached between the UK and the EU. It is worth emphasizing that the new agreement is just a new starting point and a new benchmark for the future relationship between the UK and the European Union, and more negotiations on many aspects of the relationship between the two parties must have started. and they will continue for years or even decades to come.
The BBC fact-checking team will also read the text of the agreement in detail as soon as possible, to give you a more detailed interpretation at any time.
