Acuerdos comerciales con la UE por miles de millones: esto planea Andy Burnham

TVS News AI, supervisado editorialmente, presenta Acuerdos comerciales con la UE por miles de millones: esto planea Andy Burnham.

El 20 de noviembre, Andy Burnham sehopefullyPlastic meeting in Brussels with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and António Costa, president of the European Council. Alongside the three agreements, the meeting is expected to address a closer relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Officials on both sides consider the final text of all three agreements to be almost complete.

This makes the announcement notable: according to The Guardian, it is no longer primarily about the start of negotiations. Officials report that disputes over European industrial policy and British tuition fees should not derail the process. Some parts of the agreements, however, will not enter into force until 2028.

The three planned agreements cover different areas. One is intended to make British agricultural trade with the EU easier, while another will regulate the UK's access to the European emissions trading system. The third is planned as a “youth experience scheme”: young people should be able to live, work and travel in both territories. Extensive travel easements for pets form part of the agricultural agreement, rather than a separate fourth agreement.

The agricultural agreement opens up new trading opportunities

More than £5 billion by 2040

According to The Guardian, the British government expects the agricultural component to have a macroeconomic value of more than £5 billion by 2040. British farmers should be able to sell their products more freely on the European continent. In return, British companies and travellers will no longer need a separate transport certificate for live animals, including pets. For domesticated animals, a pet passport will instead replace the repeatedly required paperwork.

Some of the easements do not concern animal products alone. The planned transition period will allow British manufacturers to continue selling certain products banned under EU law. The Guardian cites particular pesticides as an example. Trade is also expected to become easier for other products, including live mussels and Scottish salmon.

This is the most tangible part of the package for people who are affected by British products or the transport of pets to Europe. The report does not specify what the precise certificate and passport rules will look like or the date from which they will apply.

Youth visas will open travel in both directions

Tens of thousands of people under 30

The planned “youth experience scheme” is explicitly intended for people under 30. The United Kingdom and the EU would issue visas to one another, allowing young people to live, work and travel in the other country. The plan targets tens of thousands of participants.

Initially, it was unclear how many young people would be accepted in each member state. According to the information available so far, each European country is to receive its own quota. This is intended to distribute the benefits, but also the potential costs, of the programme more broadly. According to The Guardian, key details still need to be finalised.

In the event that a member state does not issue its quotas, the United Kingdom is negotiating an emergency brake mechanism. The number of nationals of that country who are permitted to travel to the United Kingdom could then be limited. This would make the mechanism reciprocal: a failure by Germany or France to issue visas would not only affect British demand, but could also restrict Britons' ability to travel.

The emissions deal will cost money, but should avert a border tax

Billions of pounds for access to EU trade

Under the emissions agreement, the United Kingdom would pay the EU billions of pounds to retain access to its emissions trading system. According to The Guardian, this would allow the country to avoid a cross-border CO₂ tax coming into force in January.

The substantive criticism focuses precisely on this issue. Opponents argue that the United Kingdom would submit to rules from which it sought to escape when it left the EU. Burnham counters that the agreement could strengthen the British economy.

His estimate is £17 billion, an increase of 0.4 per cent. In an interview with The Economist, he said: “An agreement could increase GDP by 0.4 per cent. That is a figure that cannot be ignored.” This figure represents Burnham's political assessment of the entire package. The report lists it separately from the agricultural value of more than £5 billion by 2040.

A closer EU relationship with unresolved points of negotiation

Tuition fees, Chinese electric cars and deportations

Alongside the three agreements, talks are already taking place on a joint declaration on future cooperation on industrial policy and tuition fees. An EU draft provides for concluding negotiations on lower fees for European students within six months. The United Kingdom would therefore be willing to support universities with hundreds of millions of pounds if the EU grants the country access to the protectionist “Made in Europe” programme.

The EU draft describes the United Kingdom and the Union as “trusted partners”. The British government believes that this wording could enable participation in “Made in Europe”. At the same time, European countries are demanding higher tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, against which British ministers and companies are fighting. Other unresolved issues include a possible British contribution to the EU cohesion budget and the EU's desire to include the planned accelerated deportation programme for foreign offenders in the United Kingdom.

Burnham also plans a major speech about the country's future role within the Union, possibly including a return to membership. Downing Street points to the period around the summit but has not yet decided where in the schedule it will take place. Regarding Brexit, Burnham also stressed that he did not want to pre-empt public opinion: “The public must be the boss when it comes to what happens with Brexit.”

The three agreements would therefore be a concrete step towards a closer relationship with the EU. Agriculture and youth visas would directly affect everyday life, while the cost and political acceptance of the emissions trading system would be the central point of contention. Further details of the agreements and Burnham's plans can be found in The Guardian's report.