A look at the UK, EU and WTO with an eye on Brexit. Includes a brief explanation of the WTO system, a taste of how negotiations work in the WTO, and the implications for the UK (and EU) as they prepare for Brexit and beyond
By Peter Ungphakorn
POSTED MAY 25, 2017 | UPDATED MAY 25, 2017
This page contains a link to download a handout on the UK, EU and WTO as Brexit approaches. It is slightly modified from a presentation given on May 20, 2017.
It was part of a series of lectures on “Policy in Practice”, under the London School of Economics’ Executive Master in Public Administration programme. Continue reading “UK, EU & WTO — a presentation”
Be warned. I’m not about to give a proper answer. This is an attempt to point to where the information can be found. There’s so much detail — 160 sub-sectors of it — I’ll wait for others to take up the baton
Air transport: WTO commitments on all services are unbelievably complicated, but landing rights are totally excluded
By Peter Ungphakorn
POSTED APRIL 12, 2017 | UPDATED MARCH 11, 2020
A lot has been said about the impact on trade in goods if the UK and EU fail to strike a free trade deal after Brexit. They would rely on their WTO commitments, such as on tariffs and quotas. Much less has been said about the commitments on services, despite their importance to the UK economy.
This is not surprising. Firstly, countries’ commitments in the WTO on opening their services markets (known as services “schedules”) are unbelievably complicated. The WTO has a 2,000-word guide to understanding them (approximately 5 pages) — and even that is written for readers who are already familiar with a range of technicalities. (See also this technical note on services schedules.) Continue reading “If the EU and UK fall back on WTO commitments what does this mean for services?”
The move reported by Politico on March 19, 2017 is important, but it might not be what it seems
By Peter Ungphakorn
POSTED MARCH 20, 2017 | UPDATED MARCH 23, 2017
According to Politico on March 19, 2017, the UK and EU are preparing a 10-year interim duty-free trade arrangement based on WTO rules, and this is a “Plan B” in case the two sides cannot agree on a free trade agreement before the UK leaves the EU, presumably by March 28, 2019.
Before I continue, I want to make clear that I have not talked to any officials of the kind Politico cites, and therefore have not heard any explanation from them. But I have read the WTO articles cited and I believe there is a confusion about what this means.
The confusion is about two different “interim” situations. Continue reading “The case of the two UK-EU ‘interim’ deals — is the one in the WTO really ‘Plan B’?”
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