THE reaction in the rest of the European Union to the Chequers proposals this week was muted,partly because of the political turmoil in Britain and partly because the EU was waiting to see the details in the government’s Brexit white paper, which is due to be published on July 12th. But European negotiators are relieved that Theresa May seems finally to acquire acknowledged that Brexit implies trade-offs. They acquire something to salvage their teeth into when talks resume next week, or especially when ministers from across the EU convene to discuss Brexit on July 20th.
That will be the first test for Britain’s proposal to,in effect, retain membership of the EU single market for some traded goods. The European Commission insists that the single market’s freedoms are indivisible. Not every government may steal such a tough line. Some are less wedded to ensuring that their workers retain the right to move to Britain after Brexit than is often realised. A bigger concern is ensuring that...
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Source: economist.com