[ad_1]
It is not true that the trade talks between Britain and the European Union have dragged on endlessly. This is a misconception that has become widely ingrained in public discourse, informing attitudes and media coverage. It is not a politically innocent notion.
The truth is that the talks have been conducted at unprecedented speed on an enormously compressed schedule. Trade deals often take the guts of a decade to work. In this case, the first round of negotiations in the trade negotiations took place in March.
Where does this false idea of endless talks come from?
First of all, it is due to confusion between the agreement that was reached in October last year and what negotiators are trying to reach an agreement now.
Last year, the talks focused solely on the “terms of the divorce”, according to which Britain would leave the EU. There were three main issues: the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and vice versa, what Britain owes the EU in outstanding budget contributions, and the infamous Irish border issue.
These were resolved in the withdrawal agreement, which allowed Britain to leave the EU in January this year. Since then, it has been in a transitional period, during which previous trade and legal agreements between the countries have been temporarily extended while working on the new future relationship.
This future relationship is what has been under discussion since March, and it is a much more complex and broader issue than the relatively simple matter of divorce. It covers all aspects of the economy, from chemicals to insurance, and all kinds of interaction and cooperation.
How can cross-border electricity flows be managed? On what basis can the police cooperate in investigations? What will EU aircraft safety certificates be replaced with? The issues are vast and technical, and far more diverse than the small fraction that we hear the most about, the contentious areas of governance, level playing field and fisheries.
The confusion between the two agreements has been deliberately cultivated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson for narrow political reasons. Johnson won his election campaign by promising to “make Brexit,” capitalizing on the exhaustion that had already gripped the issue and a widespread desire for completion.
His government has deliberately cultivated the idea that the divorce agreement was the final agreement and celebrated the UK’s departure from the EU in January as the fulfillment of the electoral promise.
Disregarded
The existence of a transition period was overlooked. Understandably, this has generated confusion as to why the talks are still continuing, as well as a deflated sense of urgency among businesses about the need to prepare, as Brexit appeared to have “happened” already without apparent change.
With the conversations now facing Christmas, the boredom of the conversations, the distraction, the impatience for a conclusion, the disregard for the outcome, also suits Johnson politically.
The Brexit referendum was narrowly won. And any deal that may emerge will reflect an extreme interpretation of Brexit that was a fringe position even among the Eurosceptic camp, which once insisted that Britain would not abandon the single market or the customs union. It was established as an idea of the “one true Brexit” only in the course of negotiations, at some economic cost and at the price of the barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
It is in the British government’s best interest if any such deal is rushed without too many opportunities for anyone to bother or think again, with a disinterested public and an opposition who do not believe that arguing about it is a vote winner.
London created both the perception of long talks and the reality of reduced hours. The British government declined its last chance to extend in July, citing sovereignty reasons. For the past seven weeks, negotiators have worked every weekend, trying to remove the hundreds of pages.
The EU preferred a much longer process and openly hoped that Britain would agree to allow more time for talks, particularly after the Covid-19 outbreak. On two occasions, the infections forced a reorganization of planned videoconference conversations.
Companies need a sudden shake up in their practices this January amid a pandemic like a hole in the head. The UK civil service needs more time to adjust. The border infrastructure in Northern Ireland and a truck park where trucks will wait for checks in Dover are not yet fully built, and there are also serious doubts about the readiness of customs IT systems.
If you find yourself thinking “I’m bored with this, can’t they just decide one way or another? I don’t care anymore, ”ask yourself whose benefit has that idea.
[ad_2]