Trade Deals Retains a Hurdle for ‘Brexit’ Talks -
By PRASHANT S. RAOMAY 16, 2017
LONDON — The European Union’s highest court ruled on Tuesday
that a 2014 trade deal with Singapore required the approval of parliaments from the bloc’s 28 members, leaving in place an obstacle to future negotiations — including talks with Britain over its withdrawal from the union.
“It reinforces the principle that the E. U.
does not have exclusive competence here.”
“Negotiating trade deals is complicated,” she added, “and this judgment will not lessen the complications associated with trade deals.”
The ruling comes amid growing anti-trade sentiment across much of the Western world, including in the European Union.
The debate over trade policy has pitted mainstream politicians, who say the agreements spread prosperity, against opponents — including parties on the extreme right and left — who say
that the deals give corporations too much power and erode national sovereignty.
While the ruling itself pertains to a trade deal with Singapore, its impacts could be far-reaching,
potentially affecting Britain’s negotiations to leave the European Union.
Negotiations on the withdrawal must conclude by early 2019, when the clock runs out on Britain’s membership in the bloc, and a ruling
that affirmed agreements like the one with Singapore would have eliminated at least one layer of complexity