Posted on 12/18/2019 6:02:11 PM PST by Olog-hai
European leaders warned Friday that Britain could become a formidable rival, just hours after a big victory by Prime Minister Boris Johnsons conservatives all but sealed the UKs Brexit divorce.
But the EU chiefs, meeting in Brussels, also expressed relief that British voters had sent a clear message, bringing to an end the first phase of a crisis that has dogged Europe for more than three years.
Led by France and Germany, EU member states said they would pursue a swift trade deal with a tight deadline of end 2020, but insisted that any new arrangement must uphold European values and norms.
There is no question of concluding a deal at any price, EU Council President Charles Michel told a news conference after the talks. Negotiations are over when the results are balanced and guarantee respect for the different concerns, the former Belgian premier said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Britain would be an economic competitor at our door after it leaves the EU and French President Emmanuel Macron saw a threat that London would become an unfair competitor.
This reflects concern that Britain could become a kind of Singapore on Thames, a trading hub where multinationals can gain access to the EUs huge market without playing by its rules.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
You can't make this stuff up.
“French President Emmanuel Macron saw a threat that London would become an unfair competitor
Anybody would be an unfair competitor to the French basket case experiment.
Wait, I thought that Brexit was suppose to destroy the British economy!?
That french Gay boy only worries if Justin T will return his phone calls
And Britain growing its economy and economic power will benefit all of its citizens and piss of the EU folks.
I hope Johnson resists ALL deals and makes a clean break. Any deal will be to the detriment of Britain. If there is a deal to be made that will benefit Britain, Britain will be in a much stronger position to get that deal after a complete no ties break as a sovereign nation.
It seems the EU knows the Brits will do better without Brussles boot on their throat.
Freedom is a superior system.
We are yet to see. None in the article proves any point.
As for Singapore in Thames if you are familiar with the concept I don’t see how being within or outside EU is any meaningful impact.
Although I don’t see how a basket case UK is any competitor to EU. UK has nothing to trade with anyway and once their exports are subject to EU tariffs it is only to get worse.
” must uphold European values and norms”
i.e., must maintain EU labor and eco nazi regs.
One example of their regulations....there are EU standards that require that bananas curve in a specific way. There was a story some time back of the EU's regulations regarding "bendy bananas" (and exact quote).
They are afraid that their own self-imposed protectionist restrictions will sink them afterall if those same rules are no longer imposed on Britain.
The EU rules enforced on the EU states are EU-protectionist, preventing each state from actually trading freely with those outside the EU whenever (1000s of ways) they are “harmful” (not ptotective) of another EU member. One minor example: no cheese that is labeled as “Parmesan” can be imported into any EU stste from any state outside the EU, because the only “legal” “Parmesan” cheese must come from one place in Italy. Just multiply this 1000s times and you have the inter-state “free” trade rules within the EU.
Then add EU dicates on “Value Added” taxes (like our state sales taxes wich ARE NOT REGULATED by Washington D.C.). The EU Vat rules were set up because the high taxing members feared that other members would “cheat” (tax less) and their manufacturers and suppliers would then have an “unfair” advantage. They did not want an “neutral” playing field, they wanted a LOWER playing field, insuring every state’s economy was equally tax burdened.
In the United States we allow our states to experiment themselves with finding tax rates amendable to their electorate, whether those rates be higher or lower than others. One U.S. state with high taxes and whose people buy products made in another state with lower taxes cannot complain that the other - lower taxed - state’s producers have an “unfair” advantage because their taxes are lower.
If the U.S. had EU-like rules enforced on the states of the United States, the U.S. would not be the largest economy in the world.
Britain has nothing to trade with? We are the fifth largest economy in the world. You don’t get to that position from having nothing to trade with.
Bu, bu, but Brexit was going to kill the UK economically? I’m sure that’s what they all said would happen!
Actually I think India just surpassed you:
But your position as #6 looks quite secure, as the next two, France and Italy, are mired behind Germany within the EU.
Oh, yep. Services. Parking spot for corrupt money in banking and real estates. How long will it last? UK is not famous for quality automobiles or electronics.
Britain is a hub of high-tech manufacturing. We have one of biggest aerospace industries in the world and Roll Royce is the world’s second largest manufacturer of aircraft engines in the world, second only to GE. The City of London has been one of the world’s leading financial centres for centuries, much of it centred around insurance and brokerage. The real dodgy money goes into Switzerland and the Cayman Islands, not London. London is no worse than NYC and I doubt NYC is going to go away as a financial centre either.
How long before RR is moving production to China or India? You won’t ride on this mule forever anyway.
As for banks I said earlier. Services. A parking spot for criminal money. A little more rounds of sanction games and it would move elsewhere.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.