Name? Boris Johnson
Westphalian identity? British
Age? 56
Why is he in the news? On Saturday, Boris Johnson called Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the progress of the Brexit negotiations and to set up a make-or-break summit this week in Brussels.
Why do we care? There are three main points of disagreement between the UK and the EU. Dispute settlement courts, provisions over fair competition, and fishing rights. We get the first two issues but fishing rights, seriously? Yes, sovereignty and taking control back from the EU and everything. But Boris, the UK fishing industry is worth 446 million pounds while the car industry is worth 49 billion pounds…we may not be business students but we know a bad judgement when we see one…
Why should you care? This soap opera is the only fun thing distracting us from other ongoing pandemics. If only there weren’t so much money and so many innocent bystanders at stake. Apart from that, take out your popcorn and get those live updates started.
Who else cares? Von der Leyen. Within the EU countries, the mood is starting to shift towards a contingency approach and a plan B in case Johnson does not budge on key points any time soon. According to a senior EU diplomat, it is up to the UK to choose between a “positive outcome or a no-deal outcome.”
Any further comments? Let’s talk about another major disagreement: The ratchet clause. The EU and UK have agreed to “non-regression” clauses in the treaty in which neither side can undercut a common baseline of standards after the transition period. But, as EU standards continuously develop, the EU wants to ensure that the UK cannot undercut new additions; effectively binding the UK to EU decision making. The UK, as a sovereign nation, wants to make its own standards from the 31st onwards. While still accessing the EU market and putting EU companies at a competitive disadvantage.
