barnier6_Luciana GuerraPA Images via Getty Images_EUUKbrexitflag

Three New Year’s Wishes for Britain and the EU

Dec 20, 2019 Michel Barnier

The United Kingdom's general election this month settled the matter of Brexit: the UK will leave the European Union on January 31, 2020. It will then be up to the two sides to lay the groundwork for a future relationship based on mutual trust and shared interests.

BRUSSELS – The end of the year is a time for closure and new beginnings. As 2019 winds down, that is certainly the case with Brexit. Following the victory of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Tories in the general election this month, it is now clear that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union on January 31, 2020.

For many, including me, the occasion will be tinged with regret. But it also represents an opportunity to forge a new UK-EU partnership. And besides, things could have been much worse. Owing to the withdrawal agreement that was concluded this past October, a destructive “hard” Brexit has been averted.

Since the beginning of the Brexit negotiations, we on the EU side – the 27 member states and the European Parliament – have not strayed from the bloc’s core interests nor lost sight of the need for unity and solidarity. Our priority was first and foremost to secure the rights of European citizens, including by finding a solution for the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland, for whom the negotiations were about peace and stability, not just trade and the economy. Throughout the process, we have protected the EU single market and its guarantees for consumers, public and animal health standards, and safeguards against fraud and trafficking. But we also did our utmost to preserve a climate of trust between the EU and the UK, and to lay a solid foundation for a new partnership.

We hope you're enjoying Project Syndicate.

To continue reading, subscribe now.

Already have an account? Log in

Support High-Quality Commentary

US President-elect Joe Biden may have promised a “return to normalcy,” but the truth is that there is no going back. The world is changing in fundamental ways, and the actions the world takes in the next few years will be critical to lay the groundwork for a sustainable, secure, and prosperous future.

For more than 25 years, Project Syndicate has been guided by a simple credo: All people deserve access to a broad range of views by the world’s foremost leaders and thinkers on the issues, events, and forces shaping their lives. At a time of unprecedented uncertainty, that mission is more important than ever – and we remain committed to fulfilling it.

But there is no doubt that we, like so many other media organizations nowadays, are under growing strain. If you are in a position to support us, please subscribe now.

As a subscriber, you will enjoy unlimited access to our On Point suite of long reads and book reviews, Say More contributor interviews, The Year Ahead magazine, the full PS archive, and much more. You will also directly support our mission of delivering the highest-quality commentary on the world's most pressing issues to as wide an audience as possible.

By helping us to build a truly open world of ideas, every PS subscriber makes a real difference. Thank you.

Subscribe Now

new comment has been posted. new comments have been posted.

0 Comments on this paragraph, 5 in all 5 Comments on this article

🕷️carol hedges Jan 1, 2020

The only people who are playing by the *rules* are those in the EU negotiating team. Tusk, Barnier, Verhofstaat have consistently shown up the shallow posturing UK Government for what it is: bombastic, ignorant and in thrall to billionaire backers and corrupt city hedgefunds.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
j. von Hettlingen Dec 22, 2019

Michel Barnier, the EU chief negotiator for Brexit, has three wishes that he hopes to fulfil in 2020. As the UK is leaving the EU on January 31, 2020, the two sides will have to negotiate an agreement on their “future relationship based on mutual trust and shared interests,” which covers trade, security, foreign policy and other technical issues. Boris Johnson has vowed to reach a trade deal with the EU within 11 months, an unprecedentedly short time for such a complex negotiation.
It remains to be seen whether the two sides will be able to settle the matter. The UK could still decide in July 2020 to extend the transition period, but Johnson has ruled it out. Critics believe he is deluded if he thinks he could “get Brexit done” according to plan. Ceasing to be an EU member on January 31 2020 is just the end of stage one. It goes into an 11-month transition, which expires on December 31, 2020. During this short period, trade and security are on top of the agenda, leaving other issues to future negotiations.
First, the author hopes that the post-Brexit UK and the EU would “have the means to work together and discuss joint solutions to global challenges. The UK may be leaving the EU, but it is not leaving Europe.” No one knows what the future holds for the two sides. Yet it remains to be seen whether Ursula von der Leyen’s optimism: “the bond and the friendship between our people are unbreakable” is well placed.
No doubt the EU and the UK “share essential interests and values” – in issues like “addressing climate change and promoting effective multilateralism, to defending our homelands and countering those who choose violence over peaceful solutions.” According to the author, “the EU will continue to engage positively with the UK, both bilaterally and in global fora” such as the UN, the WTO, and the G20. Yet critics fear the two sides would also become rivals and compete.
Second, the author urges for “a close security relationship,” saying Brexit will have consequences. “The strong security cooperation” works among EU member states due to the free movement of people, as they have “common rules, common supervision mechanisms, and a common Court of Justice. Because we trust each other and are assured that our fundamental rights are protected, we are able to share data extensively and implement integrated solutions.” Unfortunately the “same degree of cooperation is simply not possible with a third country that is outside of the Schengen area. But neither the EU nor the UK can guarantee its security without looking beyond its borders and building alliances.” When it comes to mutal security, “there can be no trade-off.”
Third, the author hopes that by the end of 2020 “an economic partnership that reflects our common interests, geographical proximity, and interdependence” will be on the table. According to the “political declaration” agreed in October alongside the withdrawal agreement, “the UK government made clear that it will pursue a free-trade agreement with the EU, and rejected the idea that it would remain in the EU customs union. That means the UK and the EU will become two separate markets.”
Critics fear a basic deal on tariffs would risk falling foul of EU members worried about the danger of Britain having tariff-free access to the EU market but being able to cut standards, like workers’ rights etc. While the UK has a major interest in a much broader trade deal, covering services and internal security matters, such as access to EU databases, which have proved essential for combatting international crime, the UK could use its defence capabilities as a leverage, especially if it felt unfairly treated economically, in the fallout from Brexit.
On October 16 during the Franco-German summit, followed by the EU summit of October 17-18, discussing Brexit, standing alongside President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Chancellor Angela Merkel said something that caused a stir in the UK, even though it was, in many respects, a statement of fact.
"With the departure of Great Britain, a potential competitor will of course emerge for us,” Merkel declared. “That is to say, in addition to China and the United States of America, there will be Great Britain as well.”
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Henk Crop Dec 22, 2019

Now that the majority ( 60 % ) of the citizen of one of the biggest, one of the most competitive member, with one of the oldest democratic traditions in Europe and with a strong international orientation has decided to leave the EU, there is a need for reflection among the 27 members of the EU.
The EU ought to take a pause to ask themselves if they are still on the right track.
Is the EU still adequately serving the citizen of the EU, especially over the last 20 years ?
That is according to the citizen and not the Europhile elite.

Some 20 years ago it was decided to transform the EEC ( common market ) into the EU ( the all compassing Superstate ).
It is not only Britain who did not enjoy that. The peoples of France and the Netherlands protested against the Constitution (2005) in which this fundamental step was laid down.
However their Governments decided conciously to reject the vote of their people.
Since then the bureaucrats of the Brussels bubble have taken control over the EU.
After the EU borders were opened, Britain was promised that 13.000 immigrants p.a. would come. However in reality 200.000 p.a. came. In Brexit year 2016 came 336.000
When Britain wanted help to stop the massive immigration, Juncker let them know who was boss.

Living outside the Brussels bubble you begin to wonder what the EU is good for.
Since the EU was founded the Eurozone economy has moved 2,4 % into decline, while the US economy increased by 39 %.
I am living in one of the most competitive members. Nevertheless the disposable income of the people has not increased for over 20 years. What has increased is the mass-immigration. Last year 100.000, for which we must provide housing, social allowances, schooling, medicare, etc.
For Macron and Merkel it is not enough and they want to force members to accept more migrants.
The EU means: money is flowing out and immigrants are flowing in (on a grand scale ).
In the process crime has increased tremendously. The authorities cannot cope anymore.
The EU has become a major distributor of drugs in the EU and to the rest of the World.
The education level is declining because of the many immigrant children.
I am not the only one who has doubts. In a recent poll by an EU institution it appeard that a considerable percentage of respondents had doubts about the future of the EU
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Hans Rijsdijk Dec 22, 2019

Mr Barnier says in his opening statement that a hard Brexit has been avoided. I wouldn't be so sure. Johnson's recent statements already seem to imply that a hard Brexit may well be effected. It is not beyond him to sabotage the negotiations to the extend that by the end of 2020 very little has been achieved, resulting in a hard Brexit.
But one can only live in hope.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Charlie Hardy Dec 21, 2019

Usual searing clarity from M Barnier
However
If in 5 years time (or hopefully less) a change of heart is seen in England the EU must ensure by way of action of economic, social and political rights and standards with closer, economically effective, alignment in finance also with tolerance and freedom for each key element of the EU's communities to act in their own interests which the EU has to ensure are concomitant compatible at least with the flexible but strong geodesic framework that binds EU.
A big ask but necessary if the lessons of the past 5-10 years are to be learned from and addressed. Again this is undoubtedly possible and existentially essential. So Brexit could yet make EU a better stronger place leading the world (as climate change storms on and threatens to end our world as a place capable of supporting humanity) . Let's learn and act together to achieve that goal.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.

https://prosyn.org/LEPSr9M

Cookies and Privacy

Three New Year’s Wishes for Britain and the EU

To continue reading, subscribe now.

Support High-Quality Commentary

New Comment

Email this piece to a friend

Contact us

Log in/Register

Cookies and Privacy

Three New Year’s Wishes for Britain and the EU

To continue reading, subscribe now.

Support High-Quality Commentary

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification