3 ms·

is it really surprising that most exports/imports ended up being from/to the EU when the trading environment (customs union, tarriffs, regulation) is all but de

is it really surprising that most exports/imports ended up being from/to the EU when the trading environment (customs union, tarriffs, regulation) is all but designed to prioritise to internal EU trade at the expense of the rest of the world? post-brexit: the rest of the world will be on a more even footing, so this will likely change

matthewmacleod 6y ago
It was not “at the expense of the rest of the world”.
- djmobley 6y ago
  The EU is a protectionist trade bloc like any other and imposes tariffs and quotas on trade with countries outside the bloc accordingly.
- hardlianotion 6y ago
  It is. Membership of the Customs Union makes it so. Agricultural tariffs especially. As we are not in the Customs Union any more, it will be interesting to see what the Customs Schedule for things that UK does not grow but likes to import looks like compared with the Union tariff.
  - cameronh90 6y ago
    https://www.gov.uk/look-up-import-tariffs-1-january-2021 https://www.gov.uk/look-up-import-tariffs-1-january-2021 You can look stuff up here. Lots of things are, as you'd expect, reduced but some things surprisingly high still.
imtringued 6y ago
If that were true then where are all the non EU trade deals? The UK gave a clear sign that it is going to leave the EU so it was in a clear position to negotiate trade deals outside the EU ahead of Brexit. Yet it failed to do so.
- cameronh90 6y ago
  We have a bunch, but they are mainly continuity agreements at this point. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_agreements_of_the_United_Kingdom https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_agreements_of_the_Unit... Remember though that an average trade deal takes longer to negotiate than the time we have legally had to negotiate them so far. It is likely that in the next 5 or so years we will get an agreement with the USA, CPTPP and India.

matthewmacleod 6y ago

It was not “at the expense of the rest of the world”.

djmobley 6y ago
The EU is a protectionist trade bloc like any other and imposes tariffs and quotas on trade with countries outside the bloc accordingly.
hardlianotion 6y ago
It is. Membership of the Customs Union makes it so. Agricultural tariffs especially. As we are not in the Customs Union any more, it will be interesting to see what the Customs Schedule for things that UK does not grow but likes to import looks like compared with the Union tariff.
- cameronh90 6y ago
  https://www.gov.uk/look-up-import-tariffs-1-january-2021 https://www.gov.uk/look-up-import-tariffs-1-january-2021 You can look stuff up here. Lots of things are, as you'd expect, reduced but some things surprisingly high still.

imtringued 6y ago

If that were true then where are all the non EU trade deals? The UK gave a clear sign that it is going to leave the EU so it was in a clear position to negotiate trade deals outside the EU ahead of Brexit. Yet it failed to do so.

cameronh90 6y ago
We have a bunch, but they are mainly continuity agreements at this point. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_agreements_of_the_United_Kingdom https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_agreements_of_the_Unit... Remember though that an average trade deal takes longer to negotiate than the time we have legally had to negotiate them so far. It is likely that in the next 5 or so years we will get an agreement with the USA, CPTPP and India.