Warsaw Institute Review Issue 4 2020

Page 69

BREXIT WARS: THE KINGDOM STRIKES BACK

Michał Oleksiejuk

B

ack in the pre-COVID-19 times of late 19’ and early 20’, the geopolitical scene of Europe was heavily preoccupied with Brexit and the dragging negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement, also known as the Divorce Bill. Once the agreement has been reached in early 2020, Europe sighed with relief and moved on to ensure that the future relationship between London and Brussels is as smooth and mutually beneficial as possible. However, the global SARSCoV-2 pandemic has driven the attention away from the UK-EU negotiations, and quite rightly so. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the international health crisis has not affected what will happen on the night of December 31, 2020. Despite the looming

end of the transition period and the subsequent full and final departure of the UK from the EU Single Market and the Customs Union, the British PM Boris Johnson seems less determined to agree on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement then he was just several months ago. If the agreement is not ready by the end of 2020 and the “nodeal” scenario happens, Europe will most likely experience enormous delays in the flow of goods, services and people between the EU and the UK, leading to a paralysis in this part of Europe, lasting for days, if not weeks. GOOD OLD BREXIT

As such, the issue of the UK willing to leave the European Union has been present in the British politics ever since it 4/2020

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Warsaw Institute Review Issue 4 2020 by Warsaw Institute - Issuu