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The Impact of Brexit on EU Trade Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Ferdi De Ville

    (Centre for EU Studies, Ghent University, Belgium)

  • Gabriel Siles-Brügge

    (Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, UK)

Abstract

There has been increased interest in trade policy following the UK’s EU membership referendum. However, relatively little scholarly analysis has been produced on how Brexit will affect EU trade policy. Instead, the received wisdom has been that Brexit will shift the EU’s trade policy position in a less liberal direction. This is based on a ‘static’ analysis where the UK variable is simply removed from the figurative ‘function’ determining EU trade policy. We argue that this neglects the potential role of more ‘dynamic’ effects. First, the negotiations to determine the nature of the EU–UK future economic partnership are likely to involve a lengthy process with a still uncertain, and possibly evolving, destination. The outcome and process of arriving there will influence how economic operators and policymakers adapt their preferences and behaviour, including through possible relocation and the formation of new alliances. This will shape EU trade policy in potentially counterintuitive ways. Second, the absence of clear material structures from which actors can ‘read’ their interests highlights the importance of considering the role of ideas and political framing. How the vote for and consequences of Brexit are interpreted will likely shape what is considered an appropriate policy response. Examining EU trade policy since the Brexit vote, the article finds that rather than push the EU in a more illiberal direction, the referendum result has been used to reinforce the European Commission’s external liberalisation agenda. The Commission’s discursive response to Brexit and Donald Trump has been to portray the EU as a champion of free trade in an era of global populism.

Suggested Citation

  • Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Trade Policy," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 7-18.
  • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v7:y:2019:i:3:p:7-18
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.v7i3.2102
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Scott Lavery & Lucia Quaglia & Charlie Dannreuther, 2019. "The Political Economy of Brexit and the Future of British Capitalism First Symposium," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 252-257, March.
    2. Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Policies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 1-6.
    3. Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Policies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 1-6.
    4. Christilla Roederer-Rynning & Alan Matthews, 2019. "What Common Agricultural Policy after Brexit?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 40-50.
    5. Young, Alasdair R. & Peterson, John, 2014. "Parochial Global Europe: 21st Century Trade Politics," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199579907.
    6. Christilla Roederer-Rynning & Alan Matthews, 2019. "What Common Agricultural Policy after Brexit?," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 40-50.
    7. Scott James & Lucia Quaglia, 2019. "Brexit, the City and the Contingent Power of Finance," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 258-271, March.
    8. Michael Smith, 2019. "The European Union and the Global Arena: In Search of Post-Brexit Roles," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 83-92.
    9. Michael Smith, 2019. "The European Union and the Global Arena: In Search of Post-Brexit Roles," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 83-92.
    10. Charlie Dannreuther & Scott Lavery & Lucia Quaglia, 2019. "The Political Economy of Brexit and the Future of British Capitalism Second Symposium," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3), pages 404-407, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Toni Haastrup & Katharine A. M. Wright & Roberta Guerrina, 2019. "Bringing Gender In? EU Foreign and Security Policy after Brexit," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 62-71.
    2. Ferdi De Ville & Gabriel Siles-Brügge, 2019. "The Impact of Brexit on EU Policies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 1-6.
    3. Paul Copeland, 2019. "Why Brexit Will Do Little to Change the Political Contours of the European Social Dimension," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 30-39.
    4. Michelle Egan, 2019. "EU Single Market(s) after Brexit," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(3), pages 19-29.

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