AKE Special Report: Brexit continues
While ‘Brexit’ has receded from the headlines, it is far from over. The EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the free trade agreement signed on 30 December 2020, was incomplete. While it guaranteed tariff-free trade on most goods, it did not cover services. Other specific areas of cooperation still require separate agreements. The TCA also failed to cover financial services. All of these could become issues in future. But currently the biggest problems relate Northern Ireland, which could have serious implications for the political and economic future of both the UK and the EU.
With little chance that the EU will agree to any of London’s proposed changes, what does this all mean in real terms?