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?
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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
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.
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.
(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)
(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)
(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
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
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?
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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
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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
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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.
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.”