Research Briefing
Brexit Glossary
This Commons Library research briefing contains a list of commonly-used terms and acronyms that have needed clarification since the United Kingdom voted in the June 2016 EU referendum.
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Research Briefing
UK progress in rolling over EU trade agreements
This short note provides a list of EU trade agreements in force.
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Research Briefing
Revisions to the Political Declaration on the framework for future EU-UK relations
The UK and EU agreed a revised Political Declaration on the framework for the future UK-EU relationship on 17 October. This Briefing provides an outline of the contents of the Declaration and the key changes in the revised text
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Research Briefing
The October 2019 EU UK Withdrawal Agreement
Boris Johnson's Government have negotiated a new 'deal' with the European Union. It is formed of a Political Declaration and a Withdrawal Agreement. This paper focuses on the Withdrawal Agreement and how it compares to the one negotiated by Theresa May's Government in November 2018. The main differences are in the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland or the 'backstop' as it is commonly known. It contains very different arrangements, the UK will no longer be in a single customs territory or union with the EU. The UK will no longer be legally bound to continue with level playing field commitments at the end of the transition period. Northern Ireland will still be in the UK's customs territory and VAT area, however, the region will align with the EU's rules in these areas. Northern Ireland will remain mostly aligned to the EU's regulations for goods. Four years after the end of the transition period Northern Ireland's democratic institutions will vote on whether they wish to continue the arrangements in the Protocol.
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Research Briefing
Brexit: trade tariffs if there is no deal
This note on tariffs was prepared in 2019 and is now out of date.
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Debate Pack
Deforestation in the Amazon
MPs will debate e-petition 266638 relating to deforestation in the Amazon on 7 October in Westminster Hall. This House of Commons Library debate pack provides some background information and press and parliamentary coverage of the issue.
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Research Briefing
No deal Brexit: trade
This briefing paper sets out the implications for UK trade with EU and non-EU countries of a no deal Brexit.
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Research Briefing
UK-EU relations after Brexit: an Association Agreement?
We don't know what the future relationship between the UK and the EU will be. It has been suggested that an Association Agreement might be appropriate because it is a fairly flexible kind of agreement and can include a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. But an Association Agreement also requires a degree of legislative approximation of the third country with the laws of the EU, and it isn't clear whether the UK Government would find this acceptable. This paper looks at the scope and contents of some existing Association Agreements.
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Research Briefing
UK trade and investment strategy
This short note has been prepared in advance of the Westminster Hall debate “UK Trade and investment strategy” which will take place on Tuesday 23 July 2019.
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Research Briefing
Brexit: parliamentary scrutiny of UK replacement treaties
The UK is party to hundreds of international treaties with third states or organisations, many of them on trade, by virtue of its EU membership. To continue to benefit from the advantages of these agreements, the Government has been seeking to replace them in a UK bilateral context. The Government has prioritised trade agreements, but has also agreed replacement agreements covering aviation services and safety, and road transport, for example. But Parliament is not happy about the way the Government is carrying out this 'treaty continuity programme' and Committees in both Houses have called for a greater scrutiny role for Parliament in treaty-making processes. This paper looks at what has been going on and what Parliamentary Committees in both Houses have asked for. It includes a table showing where we are with scrutiny of these treaties and what sort of scrutiny they have undergone, both in their precursor form as EU treaties and currently as replacement treaties.
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Research Briefing
The UK’s EU Withdrawal Agreement
This briefing looks in detail at the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between the EU and UK and finalised on 14 November 2018. It was endorsed by EU Member State leaders at a special European Council summit on 25 November and the UK Prime Minister promoted it in the UK Parliament and around the country. The Agreement was debated at length in Parliament on several occasions and has been voted on three times. But the House of Commons has not endorsed it. A second extension of Article 50 took exit day to 31 October 2019, but once again the UK is faced with the possibility of leaving the EU without an agreement if this agreement or another one is not ratified by the UK and the EU.
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Research Briefing
CETA: the EU-Canada free trade agreement
This note provides details about CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. This is a free trade agreement between the EU and Canada.
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Research Briefing
Future international trade opportunities for the UK
This page has been created to provide background information for the debate in Westminster Hall on 1 May 2019 on Future international trade opportunities for the UK.
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Research Briefing
Brexit: Proposals for the future UK-EU relationship
The House of Commons has voted on various options for the future UK-EU relationship in the hope that an agreed UK position may help to break the impasse following the Commons' rejection of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. The Government says it may hold a further Commons vote on future relationship options. What options have been proposed?
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Research Briefing
Future free trade agreements: US, CPTPP, Australia and New Zealand
This note has been prepared for the debate in the House of Commons on Thursday 21 February 2019.
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