JANUARY 4, 2021

The first day back at work at the WTO.

What’s happened to the UK’s commitments (“schedules”) on goods (tariffs, tariff quotas, farm support) and services in the WTO now that the Brexit transition is over, and the UK no longer applies the EU’s commitments?

1/12
NEW UK DOCUMENT

The UK has circulated a new document outlining the latest situation with the commitments on goods and services, various agreements, applied tariffs and preferences (GSP, UK-EU deal), WTO dispute settlement, trade remedies, laws

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

2/12 Image
GOODS
Tariffs, tariff quotas, farm support

The UK is now applying the commitments it proposed in 2018 with amendments in May and Dec 2020 (correcting errors) even though they have not been agreed.

5 rounds of talks. Some agreement, or “close” to

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

3/12 ImageImage
SERVICES

The UK is now also applying its proposed commitments on services. These have not been agreed either, but only one other country (understood to be Russia) is in negotiations with the UK. The rest have not raised objections.

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

4/12 ImageImage
AGREEMENTS

The UK confirms accession/ratification in its own right

● Government Procurement
● intellectual property (amendment)
● Trade Facilitation
● Civil Aircraft
● information technology products (duty-free)
● pharma products (duty-free)

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

5/12 ImageImage
The rest of the WTO agreements were signed by the UK itself, as well as the EU, so no need to do anything.

But the UK has notified that it is now responsible for the affairs of two bailiwicks in the WTO—Guernsey and Jersey.

Does anyone know why?

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

6/12 Image
TARIFFS

(3.1) The UK “Global Tariff” applies tariffs (which can be below the binding commitments) on imports from countries without preferences (ie “MFN”).

The UK informs WTO members that it will apply these, but not a formal “notification”

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

7/12 Image
PREFERENCES

(3.2) The UK tells WTO members it is sticking to preferences for developing countries previously given under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences

(GSPs come from UNCTAD which uses S=System. For some reason UK/EU use S=Scheme)

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

8/12 Image
FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS (1)

(3.3) The UK will formally notify its free trade agreements [continuity deals + 2] as required. These will be discussed in the WTO Regional Trade Agreements Committee (for transparency only—approval not needed)

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

9/12 Image
FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS (2)

(3.4, 3.5) The two that are not a continuity agreements are

● the UK-EU post-Brexit agreement. Only the trade parts are relevant to the WTO—not even the fishing rights
● the Withdrawal Agreement with Irish Protocol

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

10/12 ImageImage
WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
The UK says it can participate as itself instead of through the EU

REMEDIES
The UK now has its own system, notified to the committees on anti-dumping, subsidies and safeguards. Measures applied by the EU: retained & reviewed

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

11/12 Image
EU LAWS ETC

Many EU laws have been “mirrored” in UK law. There will be modifications. The UK will notify members through the WTO committees as required.

docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/S…

12/12 Image

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More from @CoppetainPU

2 Jan
COVID-19 in Switzerland. Week ending 31.12.2020—High but down slightly. Vaccination started. Data disrupted by holiday

Per 100K population, total & last 2 wks
● cases—5232 & 583
● in hospital—216 & 20
● deaths—82 & 12

Federal public health office covid19.admin.ch/en/overview?ov…

1/7 Screenshot of box on lab-co...Screenshot of box on lab-co...Screenshot of box on lab-co...
And for the past fortnight

covid19.admin.ch/en/overview

(Various options on the page give a lot of different data.)

Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccinations started. Still waiting for approval: Moderna, AstraZenenca, etc. Switzerland has ordered 15.8m doses for 8m people

2/7 Screenshot of box on lab-co...Screenshot of box on lab-co...Screenshot of box on lab-co...
By canton: lab-confirmed cases in the past fortnight per 100K population

Improving. Darker shading still in the Germanic east and Italian Ticino. French-speaking cantons generally better. Worst: Liechtenstein.

covid19.admin.ch/en/epidemiolog…

3/7 Screenshot of map showing d...
Read 7 tweets
1 Jan
It's January 1, 2021. The transition is over. Britain has left the EU Single Market and customs union.

How many of the EU’s free trade agreements have been “rolled over” into continuity agreements with the UK? How many have not been done?

1/7
Bearing in mind that

(1) some continuity agreements do not replicate the EU’s free trade agreements in full (rules of origin; sectors, regulations, mutual recognition not covered)

(2) trade figures cited are for TOTAL trade, not trade affected by the continuity deals

2/7
All the deals are listed on this page: gov.uk/guidance/uk-tr…

SUMMARY

DONE DEALS
Number of countries: 60
Number of agreements: 30
Total trade with those countries: £174 billion
Full ratification: 31 countries
Provisional application: 21
Bridging mechanism: 8 countries

3/7
Read 8 tweets
13 Dec 20
How can the UK be ready for Australia terms, when those terms are not available to the UK @BorisJohnson?

With no deal, how will it get tariff quota access to the EU for lamb, beef, cheese? Australia does.

How will it get free trade deals with all its neighbours? Australia does.
The UK will be making trade more difficult with its main trading partners, Mr Johnson.

Australia has been making trade easier with its main trading partners.
"No deal" is worse than "Australia terms".

"Australia terms" are not available to the UK

tradebetablog.wordpress.com/2020/11/30/wor…
Read 4 tweets
12 Dec 20
Another informative piece by @tconnellyRTE, this time on the level playing field. Definitely recommended reading.

Some parts of it piqued my curiosity

1/7

rte.ie/news/brexit/20…
First, the theme is about the UK having to follow EU standard, implying the UK may want to have lower standards than the EU.

But Frost’s vision was of a nimble UK able to set its own standards. Wouldn’t this force the EU to follow?

rte.ie/news/brexit/20…

2/7
If not follow, then at least be constrained by the higher UK standard under a ratchet as in the EU’s March 2020 “ratchet” draft. Note the text refers to “party”/“parties” so applies to either side.

ec.europa.eu/info/sites/inf…

3/7
Read 7 tweets
11 Dec 20
Oh no. And they were doing so well.

These tweets started to stick to the facts.

Until today.

"No other country has ever moved so fast"

True. Because no other country was about to lose so many deals, hence rushing into near-copies

Remember yesterday's oven-ready deal?

1/n
It was with one of the biggest trading economies in the world. How long do we think it took to secure this deal?

(OK, others were more difficult so good work, but let's not exaggerate the achievements. They are essentially continuity agreements)

2/5

What about UK-Vietnam?

No text available yet. From the joint statement, it seems to be straight "continuity".

Includes the routine "stepping stone" to negotiating joining the CPTPP, a priority for the UK

But more interesting perhaps …

gov.uk/government/new…

3/5 Image
Read 5 tweets
11 Dec 20
COVID-19 in Switzerland 11.12.2020

After consulting cantons, the federal government confirms new strict measures from tomorrow to Jan 22

Everything closes at 7pm (1am Xmas and New Year eves) (11pm in cantons with R<1, lower infection, per 7 days)

swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-gove…

1/8
Maximum gatherings still 10 people (not cut to 5).

“‘The number of cases is rising quickly and strongly,’ said Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga. … Hospitals and medical staff are at their limit, she said.”

Govt complained some cantons too lax.

swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-gove…

2/8
COVID-19 situation in Switzerland. Week ending 11.12.2020—new restrictions introduced until Jan 22

Per 100K population, total & last 2 weeks
● cases—4,324 & 621
● in hospital—175 & 18
● deaths—62 & 12

Federal public health office covid19.admin.ch/en/overview

3/8 Screenshot of box on lab-co...Screenshot of box on lab-co...Screenshot of box on lab-co...
Read 8 tweets

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