The EU has 759 treaties with 160 non-EU countries. What to do about these treaties has been known to be a headache since before the #Brexit referendum. (1/15)
The FT did excellent work back in May 2017 to list them all, and the areas they cover. FT piece: app.ft.com/content/f1435a… (2/15)
This is especially pressing as a solution for this issue is needed before the #Brexit transition period starts. The plan is transition happens with the UK legally out of the EU, so has to have its own legal relationship with non-EU countries. (3/15)
That’s 30 March 2019. Less than 14 months away. (4/15)
UK’s initial plan was to copy the EU’s 759 deals, and sign the same with those 160 countries, adjusted as minimally as possible. (5/15)
Problem: do all those countries want to do that? Probably not. Each may want concessions, and the UK has less weight alone than as part of the EU. (6/15)
So today the UK govt changed tack. Its new idea is in paras 6-8 of this: gov.uk/government/upl… (7/15)
The UK is now just asking the rest of the world to - oh, you know - treat it as if it hasn’t left the EU even though it has. And all those countries would have to agree. (8/15)
What could possibly go wrong? 🤔 (9/15)
🇹🇷 🇸🇦 🇮🇱 🇨🇳 🇷🇺 - to highlight just a few that, well, might have views. (10/15)
If some countries did not agree, then what? Or if some agree only partially? Oh we’re ok to treat you like the EU on ✈️ but not on 🚜! How will that work? (11/15)
759 times over. (12/15)
To be worked out in under 14 months. (13/15)
🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄 (14/15)
Copying agreements doesn’t seem to work. Trying to get other countries to just treat UK as if it’s still in EU looks a very long shot. How is the UK going to solve this one? /ends (15/15)
