Exclusive: Former European trade commissioner Peter Mandelson says trying to circumvent Brussels was always going to backfire

The EU has slapped down the UK government after it attempted to bypass Brussels on post-Brexit trade rules.

Documents obtained by The Independent show that the European Commission was unhappy after British officials asked each member state directly about their plans to cope with new checks on goods coming into the UK.

 

At one point, the commission told countries in the bloc to ignore the UK government completely. It then sent a memo telling member states to provide only “short general information” because of the “problematic” nature of the British request.

 

The commission later warned the UK that contacting each country directly was “outside” the terms of Boris Johnson’s Brexit trade deal – saying it was of “significant concern” since a proper response to British queries should be “harmonised at EU level”.

The rebuke emerged as Rishi Sunak’s government came under pressure from both the EU and British business bosses to spell out exactly how the latest controls on imports, due to come into force in October, will work.

 

FULL STORY

Oh dear.

The EU still throwing teddies out of the pram.

For goodness sake, get a life and move on.

32 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Oh dear.

The EU still throwing teddies out of the pram.

For goodness sake, get a life and move on.

LOL, you really have a warped view of reality.

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Oh dear.

The EU still throwing teddies out of the pram.

For goodness sake, get a life and move on.

No, the EU is employing its power as a union of nations against a third nation seeking to obtain privileges it’s not entitled to.

 

“Leave means Leave”.

On 8/5/2023 at 9:03 AM, Tropicalevo said:

Oh dear.

The EU still throwing teddies out of the pram.

For goodness sake, get a life and move on.

They just can't help themselves, acting like a woman scorned even when it is at the expense of it's own member states.

 

They don't really care about the states themselves, only in maintaining power with an ever tightening grip over them in the quest for a fedarlized Europe. 

 

Thank God we left. 

Nothing to do with federalism, toy throwing or thumb sucking.

 

The UK government, and some posters here, obviously don't understand the role of the European Commission. Part of its' mandate is to monitor the implementation of EU laws and policies. This is an example of them doing just that. 

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

They just can't help themselves, acting like a woman scorned even when it is at the expense of it's own member states.

 

They don't really care about the states themselves, only in maintaining power with an ever tightening grip over them in the quest for a fedarlized Europe. 

 

Thank God we left. 

"when it is at the expense of it's own member states."

 

How is it at the expense of its own member states?

16 hours ago, candide said:

How is it at the expense of its own member states?

By making it as complicated as possible for those member states to do business with Britain. The EU was slow to realize/admit that this causes problems in BOTH directions. One of many reasons the German economy fell into recession as the UK was such a huge market for them.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/germany-economy-falls-into-recession-high-prices-take-toll

 

https://www.ft.com/content/913c7e84-fd2d-4cb5-be0c-8cd865f37462

 

 

Still, much like the Thai government the EU technocrats care not for the well being of it's members, only that they retain their vice like control at the top, and their noses in the corrupt trough.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63941509

 

 

 

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

By making it as complicated as possible for those member states to do business with Britain. The EU was slow to realize/admit that this causes problems in BOTH directions. One of many reasons the German economy fell into recession as the UK was such a huge market for them.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/germany-economy-falls-into-recession-high-prices-take-toll

 

https://www.ft.com/content/913c7e84-fd2d-4cb5-be0c-8cd865f37462

 

 

Still, much like the Thai government the EU technocrats care not for the well being of it's members, only that they retain their vice like control at the top, and their noses in the corrupt trough.

 

 

 

 

First off, your contention that "The EU was slow to realize/admit that this causes problems in BOTH directions." is utterly false. Time and time again the EU said that Brexit was a lose-lose situation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-50836365

 

What you fail to note is that same ft.com article is the utterly predictable damage that Brexit inflicted on UK manufacturing. From the lead paragraph:

 

Trade between Germany and the UK has dropped sharply since 2016 and lags behind overall import and export levels in both countries, in a sign that British manufacturing is facing increased hurdles in its interactions with the EU’s biggest economy. 

 

https://archive.ph/b3Xct

https://www.ft.com/content/913c7e84-fd2d-4cb5-be0c-8cd865f37462

 

14 minutes ago, placeholder said:

First off, your contention that "The EU was slow to realize/admit that this causes problems in BOTH directions." is utterly false. Time and time again the EU said that Brexit was a lose-lose situation.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-50836365

 

What you fail to note is that same ft.com article is the utterly predictable damage that Brexit inflicted on UK manufacturing. From the lead paragraph:

 

Trade between Germany and the UK has dropped sharply since 2016 and lags behind overall import and export levels in both countries, in a sign that British manufacturing is facing increased hurdles in its interactions with the EU’s biggest economy. 

 

https://archive.ph/b3Xct

https://www.ft.com/content/913c7e84-fd2d-4cb5-be0c-8cd865f37462

 

Yes, the EU's insistence on making trade between EU countries and the UK as problematic as possible certainly harms both sides. 

 

However, I was answering a poster who was asking how it harmed the EU side. Hence that is the part of the article that I quoted. I do hope that has cleared up your confusion on the matter.

7 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Yes, the EU's insistence on making trade between EU countries and the UK as problematic as possible certainly harms both sides. 

 

However, I was answering a poster who was asking how it harmed the EU side. Hence that is the part of the article that I quoted. I do hope that has cleared up your confusion on the matter.

If the EU wanted to make it as problematic as possible, for one thing, they would have imposed tariffs on trade. So stop with that nonsense, already.

What Brexiters seem to want is to enjoy the benefits of being adjacent to the 2nd largest trading bloc in the world (in financial terms), but to suffer few  of the drawbacks incurred by being outside of it. 

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

By making it as complicated as possible for those member states to do business with Britain. The EU was slow to realize/admit that this causes problems in BOTH directions. One of many reasons the German economy fell into recession as the UK was such a huge market for them.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/germany-economy-falls-into-recession-high-prices-take-toll

 

https://www.ft.com/content/913c7e84-fd2d-4cb5-be0c-8cd865f37462

 

 

 

"As complicated as possible?" Really? More ridiculous hyperbole from you. Clearly, you don't understand that if members of a trade union can trade with anyone on whatever terms that they like, then the trade union is functionally defunct.

 

 

4 hours ago, JonnyF said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63941509

 

 

 

And it's a good thing that the UK is headed by a basically honest govt. Even the UK branch of Transparency International gives them high marks on...Oh, wait a minute...

 

COVID, CONTRACTS, AND CONFLICT: THE YEAR CORRUPTION TOOK CENTRE STAGE

https://www.transparency.org.uk/COVID-contracts-conflict-2020-2021-year-corruption-took-centre-stage

 

On 8/5/2023 at 2:46 PM, Chomper Higgot said:

No, the EU is employing its power as a union of nations against a third nation seeking to obtain privileges it’s not entitled to.

 

“Leave means Leave”.

Leave doesn't mean EU companies can no longer sell their goods in the UK nor vice-versa. 

 

That would be ludicrous.

Sounds like EU cut off nose to spite face.

 

With Germany and most of the rest of the EU being in a recession, they should be trying to get as much trade with others as possible IMHO

1 minute ago, Seppius said:

Sounds like EU cut off nose to spite face.

 

With Germany and most of the rest of the EU being in a recession, they should be trying to get as much trade with others as possible IMHO

Most of the rest of the EU in in recession? Really?

 

33 minutes ago, Seppius said:

Sounds like EU cut off nose to spite face.

 

With Germany and most of the rest of the EU being in a recession, they should be trying to get as much trade with others as possible IMHO

The UK left the EU - not vica versa - so if anyone cut off their nose to spite their face, it was the UK.

 

Michel Barnier continually stated throughout the negotiations that there would be no winners from Brexit. The more time that elapses, the more evidence mounts to support his view.

 

Most EU member states are not in recession.

49 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Most of the rest of the EU in in recession? Really?

 

Economic output in the 20 countries that use the euro currency dropped 0.1% in both the final three months of 2022 and the first three months of this year from the previous quarter, according to the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat.

 

https://www.euronews.com/2023/06/08/europes-economy-enters-technical-recession-as-households-struggle-with-cost-of-living-cris

 

This was from June this year

 

 

5 minutes ago, Seppius said:

Economic output in the 20 countries that use the euro currency dropped 0.1% in both the final three months of 2022 and the first three months of this year from the previous quarter, according to the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat.

 

https://www.euronews.com/2023/06/08/europes-economy-enters-technical-recession-as-households-struggle-with-cost-of-living-cris

 

This was from June this year

 

 

What you said was most of the rest of the Eurozone. And whle a few bad performances downgrade the performance of the Eurozone on the whole, are most of the remaining members of the Eurozone in a technical recession

 

5 minutes ago, Seppius said:

Economic output in the 20 countries that use the euro currency dropped 0.1% in both the final three months of 2022 and the first three months of this year from the previous quarter, according to the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat.

 

https://www.euronews.com/2023/06/08/europes-economy-enters-technical-recession-as-households-struggle-with-cost-of-living-cris

 

This was from June this year

 

 

This is from July of this year

No technical recession in euro zone as Eurostat revises up Q1 GDP

https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/no-technical-recession-euro-zone-eurostat-revises-up-q1-gdp-2023-07-20/

 

Euro zone pulls out of dip with higher growth than expected

https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/euro-zone-pulls-out-dip-with-higher-growth-than-expected-2023-07-31/

Edited August 8, 20232 yr by placeholder

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

By making it as complicated as possible for those member states to do business with Britain. The EU was slow to realize/admit that this causes problems in BOTH directions. One of many reasons the German economy fell into recession as the UK was such a huge market for them.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/germany-economy-falls-into-recession-high-prices-take-toll

 

https://www.ft.com/content/913c7e84-fd2d-4cb5-be0c-8cd865f37462

 

 

Still, much like the Thai government the EU technocrats care not for the well being of it's members, only that they retain their vice like control at the top, and their noses in the corrupt trough.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63941509

 

 

 

What you describe are the consequences of the type of trade deal negotiated and was expected.

In the particular case evoked in the OP, I don't see what the EU is doing against the interest of member States.

30 minutes ago, candide said:

What you describe are the consequences of the type of trade deal negotiated and was expected.

In the particular case evoked in the OP, I don't see what the EU is doing against the interest of member States.

I can only lead a horse to water...

1 minute ago, JonnyF said:

I can only lead a horse to water...

So what exactly in the event described in the OP goes against the interest of member states? It seems you are unable to substantiate your initial claim.

8 minutes ago, candide said:

So what exactly in the event described in the OP goes against the interest of member states? It seems you are unable to substantiate your initial claim.

Read my previous post. Try to understand it this time.

On 8/7/2023 at 2:32 PM, RayC said:

Nothing to do with federalism, toy throwing or thumb sucking.

 

The UK government, and some posters here, obviously don't understand the role of the European Commission. Part of its' mandate is to monitor the implementation of EU laws and policies. This is an example of them doing just that. 

Yes, and to recommend new laws which then are assessed by the European Parliament and either passed or rejected.

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Read my previous post. Try to understand it this time.

Your reply did not address the specific issue in the OP. Just your ysual rant against the EU.

On 8/8/2023 at 9:09 PM, JonnyF said:

Read my previous post. Try to understand it this time.

Try to write coherently, that might help.  As it is your posts are simply anti-EU rants with no basis in reality.