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Just a Little Brexit?
Report

Just a Little Brexit?

‘Alternative (Customs) Arrangements’ and the Withdrawal Agreement

CEPS, 2019

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Innovative
  • For Experts

Recommendation

In the continuing saga of Brexit, a withdrawal agreement provides for the temporary continuance of European Union customs jurisdiction for Northern Ireland. But staunch Brexiters claim this backstop would constrain the United Kingdom’s ability to conclude new trade arrangements. In this perceptive briefing that predates the agreement on the Irish trade border, economist Jacques Pelkmans examines the particulars of a 2019 proposal for “dual autonomy” that could give both parties the best of both worlds: preserve Irish open-border trade while simultaneously respecting an independent United Kingdom and European Union rules.

Take-Aways

  • Maintaining the free movement of goods over the Irish border is of paramount importance.
  • Officials are considering several “alternative customs arrangements.” 
  • The 2019 “dual autonomy” proposal allows the sovereigns to respect each other’s laws. 

About the Author

Jacques Pelkmans is an associate senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies.