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Old 18-02-2020, 16:05   #2430
Chris
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Re: [Updated] The UK’s future relationship with the EU

The EU is going to manoeuvre for the most favourable outcome for themselves. It’s a negotiation, that’s what happens. I’m not remotely surprised or bothered by this.

What I do find instructive is the extent to which the EU perceives its interests as deep alignment of UK standards and regulations with theirs, the parliament even going so far as to demand dynamic alignment (ie we adopt their new directives automatically as they are issued, possibly having been consulted as per the Norway model, but without our direct negotiating influence, or veto). It seems clear to me that the EU is aware that much of its regulatory framework makes business uncompetitive, and it only gets away with it because (until now) every major economy in Europe was locked into the same level, but decidedly boggy, playing field.

The UK being unshackled from this gives them a major headache, as does the UK’s starting point in the negotiations, which is that we won’t accept alignment and will accept a looser arrangement with the EU as a result. In other words, we’ve already told them we don’t want very much, and are therefore not going to pay their very high price to get it. In these circumstances the UK’s immovable negotiating deadline pressurises them, not us.
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