Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

It seems that the Canadian Trade Agreement would be very useful as a model,for a forthcoming UK agreement with the EU.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ca...-idUSKBN19T0PC

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

Hi

The EU has much more to offer Canada than a stand alone UK.

It is no sort of model at all for the UK.

If you read your link, you will see that one of the two big sticking points was Pharmaceuticals. and EU Certification.

Pharmaceuticals are one of our biggest exports, the UK could have benefitted from this.

Our pharmaceuticals are certified by the EU Regulator, the EMA, based in London, as we are the biggest Pharmaceutical Manufacturer in the EU and the EU amounts for 25% of the total world market.

The EMA is regulated by the ECJ in any disputes, not that there have been any for many years.

It is one of Theresas May's Red Lines, no ECJ.

When we leave the EU, we leave the EMA, that means we have to replace it.

This will cost £Billions and take many years to do, all the regulators are leaving, not just the buildings, they are going to the EU.

Our Government has refused point blank to guarantee the staff continuity of jobs or even the right to reside here with their families.

The EU has, is relocating them and paying all their expenses.

For the avoidance of doubt, this is not just me having another go at the stupidity of Theresa May.

It is a serious problem, acknowledged by Governments across the world.

Japan even raised it at last years G20 Meeting.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics...ency-leaves-uk

Once these leave, they will not be coming back.

The cost of Austerity so far in the UK is around £20 Billion a year, the cost of leaving Euratom and the EMA is more than that, it is a nonsense.

We could leave the EU without leaving either.

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

I forget, did it take 14 or 16 years to negotiate?

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

I too believe that this is very useful and also the fact that Trump is keen to do more trade with UK, as is Japan, not surprising, as some British goods are unique and the best in the world.

Many Countries in the Far East do very bad copies of British goods even if they are patented.

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

That was because all the countries in the EU had to agree and some of the regions held back. Much simpler to negotiate one to one.

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

That is not the reason it took so long.

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

Just goes to show how unwieldy and unworkable the EU has become.

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

Hi

Trade agreements take years even between single countries.

This is because they are very complex things and part of any Trade Agreement is not damaging your own industry, agriculture or service economy.

The hold up in the EU/USA one is interesting and I for one was completely against it.

Firstly the USA are demanding we accept their beef, artificially fattened in holding pens using antibiotics and growth hormones.

Secondly, they are demanding full access to Healthcare by their industry.

In other words the NHS, any legislation excluding Private Companies from the NHS would mean the private companies can sue for loss of potential profit.

Thirdly, if you think the EU and ECJ are bad, the USA is insisting that any disputes are arbitrated by representatives of big business, no input at all from Government.

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

We're doomed, doomed, I tell you!

Why am I not bothered?

Re: Canada Signs Free Trade Agreement with EU

Free Trade Agreements take a very long time to negotiate eg Australia's FTA with Japan took 7 years to negotiate.

In November 2015 Australia and the EU agreed to start the process towards a comprehensive and high-quality Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Australian and EU officials recently completed a joint FTA scoping exercise, and are working toward a launch of formal negotiations.

In other words it has taken nearly two years just to get to the stage where negotiations can begin. This is between two countries that have vast experience in trade negotiations. BTW they are stalled at the moment and negotiations are still yet to commence.

Australia has FTA agreements with Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, NZ, USA, and ASEAN.

With Trump's isolationist stance and the world's more protectionist attitude toward trade whether new agreements will be negotiated at all is a moot point - this might be a killer for the UK.

The shortest time an agreement was reached was three years so you have a long way to go after Brexit has finished.