BREXIT: 'THE CLOCK IS NO LONGER TICKING'



The long-awaited deal was finally agreed on by both sides, the UK and the European Union on Thursday. 'The clock is no longer ticking' were the few words that came out of the mouth EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, as he announced the sealed UK-EU trade and security deal on Thursday. 

The European Union (EU) and the UK have finally reached a happy ending on the Brexit deal. According to a last-minute statement from officials, an agreement was reached on a trade agreement between the EU and the UK. The European Commission has published the draft of the "Trade and Cooperation Agreement". According to this; Trade with the EU will continue without customs duties and quotas. As a result of today's talks between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it was announced that the trade agreement was reached. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, said, "Competition rules will be fair and remain so". Leyen emphasized that effective tools that will come into play in case of disruption of competition are accepted.

Commission President Leyen announced that the UK and the EU will continue to cooperate in areas of mutual interest such as climate change, energy, security and transportation. Stating that the United Kingdom and the European Union will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder, Leyen said that the whole debate revolves around sovereignty. "We need to ask ourselves what sovereignty means in the 21st century," Leyen continued, "It's about getting each other up in times of crisis, rather than standing up alone. And the European Union is showing how this will work in practice."


INDEPENDENCE PLAN FROM SCOTLAND

The first reaction of Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon stated that Brexit took place against the will of Scotland. "There is no deal that will make up for what Brexit has taken from us. It is time to shape our future as an independent, European nation," Sturgeon said.

WHAT DOES THE AGREEMENT COVER?
Commenting after the deal, Prime Minister Boris Johnson notes the following in his speech:

*Everything promised to the British public in the 2016 referendum and last year's election was fulfilled through this agreement.
* We regained control of our money, borders, laws, trade and the waters where we fish.
* The deal is great news for families and businesses in all parts of Britain. We signed the first free trade agreement with the EU so far, based on zero customs duties and zero quotas.
* This is the largest bilateral trade agreement signed by both parties to date, covering £ 668 billion worth of trade as of 2019.
* We've had success on all of our key red lines associated with British regaining sovereignty.
* The European Court of Justice will not have a role.

CUSTOMS TAX-FREE TRADE
The EU Commission published the draft "Trade and Cooperation Agreement" agreed today with the UK, which left membership. Accordingly, a new free trade agreement will be signed between the parties. Along with goods and services, the agreement will also cover areas such as investment, competition, public subsidies, tax, transport, energy, fisheries, data security and social security. Customs tax and quotas will not be applied to goods that comply with the rules of origin.

The parties will protect the environment and give priority to the fight against climate change. Observing social and worker rights. A binding dispute resolution mechanism will be established. This mechanism will ensure that competition takes place under fair and equal conditions while preventing anti-competitive behaviour. Fishball in EU and UK territorial waters will be jointly managed. England will be able to improve their fishing activities. The activities of European fishermen will continue. Airway, road, rail and sea transportation will continue. The EU and UK will compete fairly in transport. Social security rights of EU and UK citizens will be coordinated.

The UK will be able to participate in the EU's research programs if it contributes financially. Especially, a framework for security and judicial cooperation against cross-border crime and terrorism will be established. By establishing a Joint Council between the EU and the UK, it will be determined how the agreement will be interpreted and implemented. After this stage, the agreement must be approved by the British Parliament, the European Council and the European Parliament (EP).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ZIMBABWE: THE GOLD RUSH,CHAOS AND CRIMINALS

Image
  The International Crisis Group has just published a report called  All That Glitters is Not Gold: Turmoil in Zimbabwe’s Mining Sector  that delves into illicit mines of the country and particularly those toiling for gold and what the government should do to ensure the mineral wealth stays in Zimbabwe while its miners are cared for.  As the country’s economy continues to weaken, especially following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of those of working age can be found in the artisanal mines, scrimping out a living, especially with the hopes of finding gold.  A surge of attacks linked to Zimbabwe's growing artisanal mining sector has killed hundreds of miners.  Zimbabwe’s economy has been in desperate straits for a long time now; this is evident in any of the small towns dotted around the country which have been hit by endemic unemployment, the chronic cash and fuel shortages and the ever-rising inflation rate which hit 838% in July 2020...
Read more

THE WORLD OUTSIDE AND THE PICTURES IN OUR HEADS

Image
''But their plight was not so different from that of most of the population of Europe. They had been mistaken for six weeks, on the continent the interval may have been only six days or six hours. There was an interval. There was a moment when the picture of Europe on which men were conducting their business, as usual, did not in any way correspond to the Europe which was about to make a jumble of their lives. There was a time for each man when he was still adjusted to an environment that no longer existed. All over the world as late as July 25th men were making goods that they would not be able to ship, buying goods they would not be able to import, careers were being planned, enterprises contemplated, hopes and expectations entertained, all in the belief that the world as known was the world as it was. Men were writing books describing that world. They trusted the picture in their heads. And then over four years later, on a Thursday morning, came the news of an armistice, and...
Read more

TOUGH TIMES FOR CHOC LOVERS

Chocolate enthusiasts will need to exercise patience as they await more affordable bars.  The global demand for cocoa has sparked a rush among African farmers to cultivate more trees, driven by a shortage that has drastically increased prices to $10,000 per ton. Severe weather conditions in West Africa have severely impacted cocoa harvests in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the top two producers worldwide.  While growers in these countries typically sell at fixed prices to the government, the recent market surge has allowed them to negotiate higher prices. This trend has incentivized farmers in Nigeria and Cameroon, where selling on the open market is permitted, to switch from less profitable cash crops to cocoa cultivation.  However, given that it takes approximately three years for cocoa trees to yield fruit, this transition will not provide an immediate solution to the supply shortage.  Consequently, consumers can expect chocolate prices to rise and portion sizes to shrink...
Read more