From the Withdrawal Agreement to the Trade & Cooperation Agreement: Reshaping EU-UK Relations

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the negotiations between the EU and the UK on the terms of their future relationship and offers a first analysis of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, concluded in principle on 24 December 2020. The paper summarizes in chronological perspective the events that unfolded from the entry into force of the Withdrawal Agreement, on 1 February 2020, regulating the terms of UK exit from the EU, to Christmas' Eve 2020, when the parties unveiled a 1264 pages long draft treaty, framing the conditions of their cooperation after the end of the transition period. The paper underlines the political pressures and legal limitations influencing this latest stage of the Brexit process, and emphasizes how the deal reached by the parties will require additional adjustments and negotiations – hence suggesting that the Brexit is far from being over.