In her most optimistic comments yet on the ongoing post-Brexit future relationship negotiations, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged that negotiations had intensified since last week’s very public falling out and that they were making “good progress”. However, speaking to press following a videoconference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she conceded that more progress was needed on the two remaining critical issues of the level playing field and fisheries. While she did not specifically mention governance, an agreement...

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“I have concluded that we should get ready for January 1 with arrangements that are like Australia’s based on simple principles of global free trade” – Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement following last week’s European Council summit kicked off what can only be described as a week of very public back and forth posturing leaving us wondering whether the post-Brexit trade talks had in fact, failed. The walkout came late on Friday afternoon, after the UK Government took issue with...

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Not everyone realizes that, in a formal sense, Brexit has actually already happened – with effect from midnight (European time) on 31 January 2020 the UK ceased to be a member of the European Union. However you will be forgiven for not noticing much difference because with immediate effect the UK entered into the transition period which runs until 11 pm UK time on 31 December 2020. The UK and EU continue to negotiate an agreement on the future...

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With the publication of its Internal Market Bill on 9 September 2020, the UK government has set itself on a potentially irreconcilable collision course with the EU over the issue of State aid. Indeed, this move is less a shot across the bows as it is a coach and horses driven through the current negotiations with the EU on an EU-UK free trade agreement ("FTA"), which are at a particularly delicate stage given that the Brexit transition period expires...

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With the Brexit transitional period coming to a close, and given the frequent movement of workers of all nationalities across the EU, many UK employers have questions about regulations governing work authorizations for their employees. This GQ|Littler article summarizes the new immigration system, which will apply to both EU and Non-EU Nationals in the same way from 1 January 2021. See below, which compares the applicable rules and identifies where action is required. Image courtesy of GQ Littler. From 1 January 2021 a...

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday morning announced that the Commission had sent a so-called letter of formal notice to the UK Government over the UK Internal Market Bill’s alleged breach of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. Thursday’s announcement comes after Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, on 10 September, called on the UK Government to remove a number of contentious clauses from the Government’s UK Internal Market Bill by the end of September at the latest. Failure to do...

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