From Roaming Fees to Visas, EU-UK What Will Change From Next January (General)

British nationals who wish to stay in Europe for more than 90 days from January next year must obtain a visa.

Since the automatic recognition of professional qualifications such as doctors, architects, and pharmacists is not applied, UK professionals who want to work in Europe must obtain recognition from their respective countries.

Mobile phone roaming rates, which are now free, may increase.

As the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom concluded negotiations on future relations including the Free Trade Agreement on the 24th (local time), the two sides will face a change in relations in various sectors from January next year.

The draft’Trade and Cooperation Agreement’ agreed by the two sides ▲ Free Trade Agreement (FTA) containing new economic and social cooperation relations ▲ Civil safety partnership to establish a new system for law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal and civil law issues ▲ Dispute resolution It consists of three axes: horizontal agreement on governance such as method.

In particular, free trade agreements encompass not only trade in goods and services, but also investment, competition, state subsidies, tax transparency, maritime, road transport, energy, sustainability, fishing, and data protection.

However, this agreement does not address specific details of the financial sector, foreign policy, foreign security, and defense cooperation.

The following are the main contents and prospects of this agreement based on the EU Commission’s announcement and the analysis of the British media, including the Daily Guardian and Telegraph.

◇ Trade in goods

Trade agreements, especially the trade in goods, were one of the key points of future relations negotiations.

Initially, the UK and EU were in the position that tariff-free trade between the two sides should be carried out even after Brexit.

In addition, there is no restriction on the quantity of products subject to such tariff-free, that is, the quota-free period should continue.

The two sides eventually achieved this goal through an agreement on a free trade agreement.

In other words, the EU decided to guarantee greater access to a single market in an agreement with the UK than any other trade agreements previously concluded with other advanced countries such as Canada and Japan.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained that the trade agreement is more than the EU-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which sets tariffs and quotas on some items, and is a “Canada Plus Plus” model.

However, there is also a difference compared to that of the UK being under a single EU market and customs union.

First of all, from January 1 of next year, tariff and regulatory borders will be established for trade between the two sides.

As customs clearance and quarantine procedures are applied to the movement of goods, confusion is expected to be inevitable compared to now.

The EU Commission said, “While compared to market access within a single market, this agreement will provide sustainable connectivity in air, road, rail and sea.”

◇Migration

The British will no longer have freedom of movement within the EU. This means that in EU member states, the right to work, study, do business or live like a citizen of that country is lost. British citizens must obtain a visa to stay in EU member states for more than 90 days. The free movement of citizens of EU member states in the UK also ends.

UK travelers may be required to pay a roaming fee if they use a mobile phone when traveling to EU member states in the future.

Currently, even if a person who subscribes to a British telecommunications company uses a mobile phone in Europe, the additional charge restrictions apply, so they do not have to pay extra.

◇fishing

In the matter of fishing, which remained an obstacle until the last minute in trade negotiations between the EU and the UK, an agreement was reached to cut the EU catch quota in the UK waters by 25% over the next five years and six months, citing officials from AFP.

In addition, negotiations will be held annually on EU fishing vessels’ access to British waters.

Earlier, the UK had insisted on reducing it by 60% or 80% over just three years.

This is a compromise, but it is predicted that it will be an unacceptable situation for many fishing zones in northwestern Europe that have been operating in British waters for a long time.

Currently, European fishing vessels catch up to 650 million euros (about 875 billion won) annually in British waters.

An EU diplomat said it would negotiate again in five years and six months, but acknowledged concerns that the UK might block EU vessels.

Michelle Barnier, head of the EU’s negotiations on future relations between the EU and the UK, said after the agreement was announced that the EU would stand by the fishing sector.

“This agreement requires effort,” he said. “I know the EU will support these fishers. The EU will go with them.”

◇ Level playing field

The fair competition environment was one of the issues that showed disagreements until the last minute in the negotiations on future relations between the UK and the EU.

The EU has argued that even after the UK deviates from the EU regulatory framework, it should ensure a fair competitive environment in terms of taxes, state subsidies, environment and labor rights.

Otherwise, it has been pointed out that the UK could gain competitiveness compared to EU companies by providing huge subsidies or tax incentives to domestic companies and gaining unfair profits.

In this negotiation, the two sides agreed to maintain a minimum level of environmental, social and labor standards.

It was decided to review again four years later to see if this fair competition environment is working well.

In addition, after Brexit, it was decided to establish a’rebalancing mechanism’ in preparation for the situation where the regulations on both sides change in the fields of labor rights.

This includes independent arbitration proceedings and allows the disadvantaged to impose tariffs to restore fair competition.

The agreement, on the one hand, allowed the UK to establish its own subsidy regime and, through its own domestic body, determine for itself whether this would distort trade. This is an analysis that the EU has given way to its existing position.

However, both sides have established common legally binding principles related to state subsidies.

Britain should ensure that its subsidy system respects these principles.

This principle can be enforced in both courts, and contains content that allows the collection of illegal subsidies.

◇ Dispute Resolution Structure

It was also one of the issues until the end of the negotiations. The EU has been concerned that depending on which regime enters the UK, it can deviate from EU standards and benefit from competition.

It was the position that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) should be in charge of any disputes related to future trade agreements or agreements.

However, according to the agreement, a new dispute settlement body is established. An equal number of representatives from both sides participate, and an independent arbitrator maintains a balance

Specifically, if either party believes that trade is distorted, it can take action after consultation. The arbitration panel must meet within 30 days to make a decision.

In order to impose tariffs, it must go through arbitration here.

If such measures are later deemed to be wrong or excessive, the injured party can take corresponding measures.

◇Security

The UK is no longer a member of the European Organization for Legal Cooperation (Eurojust) and the European Police Agency (Europol).

However, cooperation between the UK and these bodies continues, in cooperation between police and law enforcement on both sides.

The UK will continue to have access to the EU Schengen Information System, which shares police alerts of disappearance or theft.

You can check who are moving on an aircraft or ferry through the’Passenger Name Records’. Through this, databases such as terrorist response, suspect fingerprints and DNA, and license plates can continue to be used jointly.

However, it is excluded from the European arrest warrant system.

◇ Financial services

Unlike products, services, especially financial services that the UK has strong, were not covered in specifics in the agreement.

The two sides predicted that separate agreements on financial markets will be needed apart from the trade agreement negotiations.

Once approved by a country for financial services, the’financial passport’ method of freely selling financial products and services to EU member states will become impossible in the future.

Instead, from next year, financial services will be subject to regulatory equivalence evaluation.

If the EU determines that the financial regulation and effectiveness of financial supervision in non-member countries meet EU standards, financial companies in non-member countries can also operate without separate approval from individual EU member countries.

The problem is that some regulations do not have EU equivalence standards.

The agreement on the day did not include a new EU decision on regulatory equivalence.

As a result, it is observed that from the new year, uncertainties may arise in key areas of financial services such as stocks and derivatives.

The two sides plan to conduct separate regulatory negotiations on financial services based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

◇ Professional qualification

Doctors, nurses, architects, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, and engineers are no longer subject to the automatic professional accreditation system. As a result, you have to regain recognition in the country where you want to work.

◇ Transportation

As now, passenger and cargo transportation by air, rail and road continues.

It is also possible to stop over at London Heathrow in a third country or at another airport in the UK and then cross to Europe.

Freight forwarders are allowed to travel between the UK and Europe without being limited by the number of special approvals the EU has assigned to third countries.

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