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The United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, when the transition period began to achieve trade agreements and make the British divorce from the European bloc effective on December 31. What awaits that country after leaving the European Union?
A fantastic future as Boris Johnson predicts or a risky leap into the unknown as Brexit detractors fear? After almost 50 years in the European Union, the UK opens a new solo chapter on January 1, 2021.
What will change on January 1?
The UK officially left the EU on January 31, 2020, but continued to apply its rules during a transition period ending on December 31. Starting in 2021, the country will once again walk alone.
With the confirmation on Thursday that London and Brussels managed to close a trade agreement at the end of long and difficult last minute negotiations, the prospect of tariffs and quotas for goods crossing the English Channel will be eliminated.
See more: The United Kingdom and the European Union reach historic post-Brexit agreement
But even with a deal, the future is far from perfect. British exporters will have to submit new customs documents to prove that their products are fit for the single European market.
London urged companies to prepare, but industries say the government has failed to provide IT systems and support staff on time, increasing the risk of chaos.
What is “Global Britain”?
Defending the idea of a “global Britain”, London seeks to revitalize its bilateral relations with the rest of the world, especially with its “closest and most important ally”, the United States, in Johnson’s words.
But he lost a trump card with the defeat of Donald Trump, an enthusiastic Brexiter. And the coronavirus pandemic has hit the British economy hard, threatening the bright future promised by the Conservative prime minister.
The idea is that the United Kingdom does not close in on itself but opens up abroad to forge free trade agreements around the world.
See more: The “most uncertain” Christmas for the British in recent times
“Now that global Britain has returned it is time for manufacturers, men and women of action and innovators to help us write our most exciting chapter to date,” said International Trade Minister Liz Truss in October. , promising future exports of all kinds of British goods, from creams to robots.
The United Kingdom has already signed post-Brexit trade agreements with Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, and several Latin American countries led by Mexico and Chile.
And it is negotiating others with the United States, Australia and New Zealand, among others.
The agreements in preparation or concluded, including the one closed with the EU, represent 80% of British foreign trade by 2022, says the government, which remodeled the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to integrate its generous development aid into the British diplomatic agenda.
What will happen in the UK?
Johnson’s big promise in the legislatures last December was to “carry out Brexit” and then end the growing economic disparities between wealthy finance London and the rest of the country, especially the post-industrial areas to the north.
But this “upgrade” program through large investments, such as the HS2 high-speed line that must operate in the center and north of England, was sidelined due to the pandemic.
See more: Christmas in Europe, between fear and hope
The government insists however that its long-term goals remain and that the money London has contributed so far to the European budget will be better spent on British soil.
Some defenders of Brexit called for a radical revision of the economic model to transform the country into a “Singapore on the Thames”, a kind of tax haven with an ultra-deregulated financial sector that becomes a powerful rival at the gates of the EU.
The government assures that the conclusion of trade agreements will not be detrimental to key issues such as public health or agri-food standards, especially in its negotiation with the United States.
