SUMMARY
Fabian Zuleeg and Jannike Wachowiak take stock of the current state of play of the Brexit negotiations in this introductory chapter. They argue that the EU should not compromise its principles in the future relationship negotiations. However, it must also keep in mind that the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced global trends – rising US-China tensions, an increasingly protectionist trade environment, and the prevalence of cross-border security threats. That is why an extension to the transition period is strongly warranted: new mechanisms or institutions are needed to establish new patterns of EU-UK cooperation, thereby creating shared goals, transparency and trust.
This chapter is part of the publication Towards an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible EU-UK partnership?, which examines the political, economic, social and institutional implications of the UK’s departure from the EU in different policy fields, as well as its impact on UK politics and EU integration. The contributions in this book, all by leading experts on Brexit, draw from discussions held in the Brexit Think Tank Group, which was set up by the EPC in the aftermath of the 2016 referendum. Through this format, the EPC facilitated a continuing exchange between the European Commission’s Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom and the policy community.
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