THE VIEW FROM BRUSSELS: ARE WE HEADED FOR A UK-EU TRADE WAR?

The dispute over the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the UK Withdrawal Agreement is proving hard to implement. The European Parliament Research Service has produced a useful summary. The UK government has even suggested reneging on it but pulled back following howls of objections, not least from within the UK itself.  … Read more

European Commission recommends that EU reject UK bid to join Lugano Convention

The post below was first published on our Litigation blog On 4 May 2021, the European Commission has released its anticipated communication to the European Parliament and the Council confirming the Commission’s view that the EU should not consent to the UK’s application to accede to the Lugano Convention. If this position is reflected in … Read more

EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement approved by the European Parliament

The European Parliament has now finally consented to the Council concluding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the United Kingdom clearing the way for its definitive conclusion on 30 April 2021, the day on which the extended period of provisional application will expire. The consent of the European Parliament was never really in doubt but … Read more

The UK ETS after Brexit

The post below was first published on our Energy Notes blog. The end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020 brought an end to the UK’s participation in the EU Emissions Trading System (the EU ETS), the bloc’s flagship ‘cap and trade’ scheme for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Having substituted this scheme … Read more