This chapter provides an overview of how the Irish Sea customs border established under the Protocol functions in practice and what impact this new border has on companies trading between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland. Given the ‘unique circumstances on the island of Ireland’, the border dividing Ireland and the UK was always going to be unlike any other border.

The introduction of a new regulatory and customs border has made it more difficult and more expensive to trade with the EU. This impacts UK firms who import and export from and to that market.   However, the impact of Brexit on UK importers and exporters is not homogenous. The paper identifies the nine most […]

With the quantity of trade at stake, such terms should not be the sole preserve of customs specialists.   First published as a Prospect blog available (HERE).   Those working on Brexit now know more about “rules of origin” than we ever thought we would. For trade negotiators, they are one of the most contentious […]

UKTPO Briefing Paper 41 by Michael Gasiorek and Anna Jerzewska. Available (HERE).   Key Points   The UK Government’s Command Paper on Northern Ireland reveals some significant differences between the position of the UK and that of the EU with respect to operationalising the Northern Ireland Protocol. These will no doubt spill over into the […]

While the world battles the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Government’s decision not to request an extension to the transition period means that the UK and the EU have only eight months until 31st December 2020 to complete the talks on the future trading relationship. If a trade deal is not agreed by 1 January 2021 […]

The UK is due to leave the EU on the 31st January 2020. A new stage of the Brexit process is set to begin – the transition period and negotiations of the future relationship with the EU. At the same time, work on the Northern Irish border arrangements is far from over. A newly established […]

With Brexit less than 100 days away, the prospect of no deal is more likely than ever. The UK’s transitional border plans were released in February ahead of the March deadline. Increasingly large sums have been spent on preparation. But many companies aren’t ready. As a result of no deal, what presently are considered moving […]

Even though free trade agreements (FTAs) have proliferated for several decades, researchers still don’t fully understand their effects. In the wake of the recent wave of mega-regional trade deals, many governments are now interested in evaluating the effectiveness of their existing commitments and the benefits they have brought for business. It is, therefore, more important […]

In the context of Brexit, a customs union has always been a half-way option that doesn’t offer the same benefits as single market membership, but also doesn’t allow the UK to lead a truly independent trade policy. It only addresses trade in goods, and doesn’t solve the problem of the Northern Irish border – although […]