WEBINAR - The Brexit Agreement, One Month On, with David Henig and Pernille Rudlin

As 1 January 2021 saw the end of the withdrawal transition period and the implementation of the post Brexit UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement that had been finalised only on Christmas Eve, Japan Society chairman Bill Emmott will be joined by David Henig, director of the UK Trade Policy Project, EPICE, and Pernille Rudlin, EMEA representative of Japan Intercultural Consulting, to review the first month under the new arrangements.

The UK-EU TCA took four years to agree, following the June 2016 referendum, but this 1,246 page document was settled only one week before it was due to come into force. Not surprisingly, businesses of all kinds have struggled to adjust to the new customs rules and paperwork, despite this being, for goods, a zero-tariff and zero-quota agreement. What lessons have we learned over the past month as businesses got to grips with the detail of the agreements? What has the immediate impact been and what are the key issues still to be resolved? And what is the TCA likely to mean for Japanese companies operating in and investing in the UK?

David Henig is one of the UK’s leading authorities on trade policy. He is Director of the UK Trade Policy Project at the think-tank European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and has written extensively on the trade implications of Brexit, but also looks more widely at global trade issues such as USA-China tensions, the future of the WTO, and EU trade agreements. David regularly discusses trade issues in the media, and advises global business on the implications. He previously worked for the UK Government on EU-US trade negotiations and China-US issues in particular, in business as a consultant, and graduated from Oxford University.

Pernille Rudlin is the Managing Director of Rudlin Consulting which provides research and consulting on Japanese companies in Europe, as well as EMEA representative of Japan Intercultural Consulting.
She spent nearly a decade at Mitsubishi Corporation working in their London operations and Tokyo headquarters in sales and marketing and corporate planning, and also had a stint in their International Human Resource Development Office. More recently she had a global senior role as Director of External Relations, International Business, at Fujitsu, the leading Japanese information and communication technology company and one of the biggest Japanese employers in the UK, focusing on ensuring the company’s corporate messages in Japan reach the world outside. Pernille is also a member of the Japan Society’s board

[avilahugo]

Great nuts and bolts, well informed, pragmatic, unbiassed and realistic analysis. Thank you very much for uploading.

[DavidWilliams-DSW]

Most appropriately, Sunday Bloody Sunday came on the radio while you were discussing the NI border problem

[timelwell]

Davids' comment - 'Businesses will have to get used to the new situation' - belies the fact that many businesses are actually going under. I understand that there has been a 200% increase in bankruptcies since 1st January this year. Large companies are either relocating to Europe, or have set up offices in EU member states. Sadly, smaller companies which cannot afford to do so are going to the wall.

Moreover, I am NOT optimistic that this government will EVER listen to businesses . Brexit is an ideology, and this government is firmly wedded to this ideology. A pragmatic and sensible government would have sought a deal similar to that which is enjoyed by Norway or Switzerland. However, it's the 'Singapore-On-Thames' economic model which the Tories so badly wish to follow, which of course means DIVERGENCE from EU rules and standards. Only a change of government will change this policy.

[childoftheuniverse]

Circus BoJo came in UK!!! He is performing the most dangerous act in history: The Brexit!!!

[tinkajanson]

The Question is now why did we(UK population)voted for Brexit? End up losing so much.

[Kaizen]

No need for experts tell us whats happening.This discussion should have included Garry from Bradford to show his side of the story! He was unemployed before the Brexit and he still is but we can at least agree that things remaining the same for him is a proof that project fear was nonsense.

[doodlePimp]

This sounded like misleading info. EU and Japan made a trade deal, which means Japanese companies no longer need to be located in an EU country. So it's not a sign of success that they don't relocate to an EU country. Plus Nissan was paid a large sum to stay in Britain IIRC for the time being, yet they don't make any new investments. Nissan's actions are not an indicator for a trend.

You can't blame covid for companies not making investments since a time of crisis is the best time for companies looking to the future to invest.

As for the remark about the North Ireland border it is just the British government in cooperation with the British Murdoch media which shout a lot. The EU can't stop that. It's simply an extension of Brexiteer propaganda.

Because of the internet everyone know English these days.

As for trade unions like CANZUK after leaving the EU trade union. - You guys need to make up your mind if Brexit was about taking back control or just about being anti-EU.

Overall Brexit is somewhat of a paradox. Britain wanted to be a 3rd country without being a 3rd country. Perhaps some historical perspective from 1973 when Britain joined would had helped. IIRC Britain was called "the sick man of Europa" because of poor economic performance and impoverishment in the decade leading up to joining the EU...

...Maybe once Scotland and North Ireland have left you guy will reapply for EU membership.

[johncapo]

BREXIT
we are british not europeans
DAMMIT