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1/ Some thoughts on UK draft text tabled to the EU today + @DavidGHFrost letter
It is understandable, and even desirable from a business perspective, that many of the UK's demands on EU are ahemm, 'ambitious'.
It is understandable, and even desirable from a business perspective, that many of the UK's demands on EU are ahemm, 'ambitious'.
2/ There is however a problem of public discourse. The UK argument that it is only asking for plain vanilla FTA terms based on EU FTA precedent is plain wrong.
3/ Cross border financial services trade + possible mutual acceptance of prudential regulations + 15 mbre panel to settle disputes foe FS only is.... unprecedented indeed!
4/ So is mutual equivalence for SPS, enjoying EU organic label, not going by EU FTA precedent on GIs, a deal on road haulage based on recognition of Uk standards....
5/ Britain ignores completely precedents set by EU agreements w its neighbours. Discourse is as if UK did not share land border (NI) & just a few miles of water as geographical distance w EU. W ALL neighbours except Russia alignment w EU rules is prerequisite for market access
6/ This is how the EU operates with neighbours. It is a fact that Britain must learn to work with.
7/ UK argument that its demands are modest is also wrong. Some of these are unprecedented indeed, even if not uninteresting in themselves. But Britain must understand is that obtaining a fraction of this means paying a high price in terms of what the EU will ask in return.
8/ Again, this is how trade negs work, not some defence of EU position (cf US talks)
There precedents to learn from: how small powers e. g. Australia or NZ negotiate w EU/US: no grandstanding w draft treaty. table legal language in selected areas of priority interest 4 them.
There precedents to learn from: how small powers e. g. Australia or NZ negotiate w EU/US: no grandstanding w draft treaty. table legal language in selected areas of priority interest 4 them.
9/ The insistence on being recognised as 'sovereing equal' is actually painful to watch. Sends contrary message. Also the nature of demands made on food standarss, FS, highlights how vulnerable UK is to no deal
10/ So there is a need to get real here. None of what UK asks can be done in a few months. And no deal end Dec will kill any econ recovery. And UK gov needs to make sure public undelmrstand there will have to be concessions to be made if you want sth unprecedented.... ENDS.
