Login / Register
  • Home
  • EU Citizens in the UK
    • The Current Situation
    • Settled Status
    • The Registration Process
    • Documents Required
    • Help and Assistance
  • Students
  • UK Nationals in the EU
    • The Current EU Situation
    • What’s Next?
    • Country Specific Information
      • Greece
      • Cyprus
      • Spain
      • France
      • Germany
      • Éire
      • Portugal
  • New Immigration System
    • New Immigration System Information
    • Immigration System Policy Statement
  • Brexit: The Facts
    • Latest News
    • Article 50 Decoded
    • Timeline & Key Dates
    • Brexit Terms and Phrases Decoded
  • Blog
  • Forum
    Menu

    Canada, Norway and the Chequers Plan

    Posted on September 6, 2018 at 7:55 am
    Posted by BDSteve

    The Chequers Deal or Chequers Agreement

    The terms: Norway Model, Canada Deal and the Chequers Deal (or ‘UK Brexit plan agreed at Chequers’ as it should really be called) are all over the news at the moment and a lot of our members are asking us what these terms actually mean and what the three potential deals/models are.

    The Norway and Canada Deals are actually agreed and fully operational whereas the Chequers Deal is merely a proposal at the moment.
    Lets look at the two operating models first.

    The Norway Deal: This relates to two important European organisations: EFTA (The European Free Trade Association) and the EEA (European Economic Area) of which Norway is a member of both.

    The EFTA comprises of Norway, Lichtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland. These four countries trade freely with each other and also have trade deals with non-EU countries; such as Canada negotiated separately with the EU.

    The EEA is comprised of all the EU countries plus Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. All of the EEA members have full access to the European single market. You can only join the EEA if you are a member of EFTA or a EU country. If and when the UK leaves the EU it could join EFTA and then join the EEA and have access to the European single market.

    So what are the benefits and disadvantages? Very simply members of the EEA have to accept free movement, which means no limits to EU wide migration and as a result a certain hostile reception to this model from the Brexiteers; who consider this a key issue. On the other hand this would help solve the border problem between Northern Ireland and Eire as the tariffs and border controls would no longer be the stumbling block they are now if the UK became an EFTA-EEA member.

    The Canada Deal. The CETA (Canada-EU Trade Agreement) or (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) even the acronyms are confusing – focuses on a free trade agreement.
    With a free trade agreement of this kind in existence we should see over 98% of goods moving freely across the borders of the UK and the EU; albeit with some border checks. It would also allow the UK to control immigration and remove the influence of European Judges in matters of UK law.

    The main downside is the difference between ‘goods’ and ‘services’. Goods are things like food, agriculture, car manufacture and other manufactured products. Services include; banking, healthcare and all manner of things such as legal, employment and contractual relationships.

    This is a problem because approximately 80% of the UK’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) comes from the service sector and any deal which makes things harder for the flow of services across borders will likely lead to economic problems – at least in the short term or until new agreements are reached.

    The Chequers Deal. This plan aims to select the best parts of the EU and other models and has been referred to by Michel Barnier recently as ‘cherry picking’.

    It would be difficult to disagree and the plan can only realistically be considered as a starting point for negotiations. Essentially the model allows the UK to retain free trade with the EU whilst being able to reach separate trade deals with non-EU countries. It ends the free movement of people and creates a new ‘mobility framework’ which allows the UK to say who comes in, when and from where. It also puts an end to annual payments to the EU Budget.

    Whilst this deal would, on paper, be good for the UK many believe it doesn’t constitute a Br-exit and means the UK is still tied indefinitely to the EU. From the EU point of view it has too many of the benefits of EU membership without the financial commitment or regulation.

    Quite simply the situation at the moment is as follows:
    May and her supporters want a Chequers type deal. Her detractors want a much harder exit without the ties to the EU and the EU favors a Norway/Canada model.
    Speaking in New York in July Michel Barnier said that after 12 months of negotiations the EU had agreed 80% of a deal with the UK.
    If this is what being in 80% agreement looks like, then the detail that remains to resolve the other 20% may prove to be mountainous.

    Read more

    Recent posts

    • Brexit & Freedom of Movement in the EU
    • Brexit & Hungary: Passports and Travel Updates
    • Brexit & Slovakia: Passports and Travel Updates
    • EU Settlement Scheme: Leaflet & Factsheet

    Archives

    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    Contact

    20-22, Wenlock Road
    London N1 7GU
    England

    Company number: 11242596
    ico. Registration reference: ZA339391
    E-mail: info@brexitdecoded.com

    Navigation
    • Brexit: The Facts
    • EU Citizens in the UK
    • Students
    • UK Nationals in the EU
    • Blog
    • Forum
    Legal Information
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Forum Terms and Conditions
    • Cookie Policy Terms and Conditions
    Useful Links
    • About Us
    • Our Aims
    • Contact
    © Copyright 2021 by Brexit Decoded. All rights reserved.
    • Home
    • EU Citizens in the UK
      • The Current Situation
      • Settled Status
      • The Registration Process
      • Documents Required
      • Help and Assistance
    • Students
    • UK Nationals in the EU
      • The Current EU Situation
      • What’s Next?
      • Country Specific Information
        • Greece
        • Cyprus
        • Spain
        • France
        • Germany
        • Éire
        • Portugal
    • New Immigration System
      • New Immigration System Information
      • Immigration System Policy Statement
    • Brexit: The Facts
      • Latest News
      • Article 50 Decoded
      • Timeline & Key Dates
      • Brexit Terms and Phrases Decoded
    • Blog
    • Forum
    Contact

    20-22, Wenlock Road
    London N1 7GU
    England

    Company number: 11242596
    ico. Registration reference: ZA339391
    E-mail: info@brexitdecoded.com

    We use cookies to allow us and selected partners to improve your experience and our advertising. By continuing to browse you consent to our use of cookies as per our policy which also explains how to contact us or unsubscribe once registered. Accept Cookie Policy
    Privacy & Cookies Policy
    Necessary
    Always Enabled