London and Canberra sign a post-Brexit free trade agreement

London and Canberra sign a post-Brexit free trade agreement

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The UK on Thursday signed its first new trade agreement with Australia since leaving the European Union. This text should remove customs duties on exports from both countries, but this raises some concerns, especially among breeders.

Then first Brexit. United Kingdom A free trade agreement with was signed on Thursday 16 December Australia, A compromise that opens doors for the Asia-Pacific region, but has been criticized for its uncertain benefit and its environmental impact.

The “historic” agreement, approved at a virtual ceremony, was in principle agreed between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian envoy Scott Morrison in June and “negotiators have now completed all chapters,” according to a UK department report. For international trade.

This is London’s first agreement since leaving the European Union, and has been in effect sinceThere is January is not simply a renewal or adaptation of what exists between the EU and other countries.

Approval of Parliament

The text, which will be submitted to parliament for consideration in Westminster, reads, “The 100% removal of taxes is expected to generate an additional 10. 10.4 billion in trade (…). [leurs] Exports. “Trade between the two countries is 13.9 billion by 2020, accounting for only 1% of total UK trade.

The agreement “sets new global standards for digital and services, creating new jobs and travel opportunities for both the UK and Australia”, underscoring the British government. London is particularly proud of the text “Made to fit the British economy” in countries that are “world leaders in technology and digital.”

British professionals in the service sector, including architects, lawyers or researchers, will have access to work visas in Australia: “This is more than Australia has ever offered in a free trade agreement to any other country,” the Ministry of International Trade welcomed.

The compromise “increases the chances of joining the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement (CPTPP)”, which brings together eleven countries in the United States and Asia and weighs 8 8,400 billion in GDP.

Concerns of breeders

Greenpeace, a non-governmental organization, condemned the agreement, saying it was “not yet published” and that it would “not only have one of the worst effects of climate change, but also one of the major global hubs of deforestation.” , Which goes against London’s British environmental objectives, which aim for carbon neutrality by 2050.

During the negotiations between the two countries, the British Department of Agriculture was concerned about the competition of Australian products such as beef and lamb, which are cheaper with more industrial agriculture with more flexible health standards.

As a reassurance to breeders, the text provides a limit on imports to British soil without tariffs for 15 years, especially through provisions, the British government said in June, which did not provide details about the shutters.

With AFP

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