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After Brexit is before Brexit
Four years, six months and one day after the historic referendum, the United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed a Brexit deal. The end at last, you may cry. However, most of the more than 1200-page agreement is so thinly worded that the real problems are, in fact, only just beginning.
The so-called free trade agreement has been hastily cobbled together. Admittedly, the chaos feared by many companies on both sides of the channel has not (yet) made an appearance, true to the motto: any deal is better than no deal. However, the negotiators have simply circumnavigated the most treacherous rocks just to be able to reach a deal at all.
Britons will soon become painfully aware of the fact that whilst their country may be special it is not specially large. For London, the second largest financial centre in the world, unrestricted access to its continental European customers is now blocked; no new agreement could be reached on this. A new quarrel regarding the recognition of EU social standards is also inevitable. Brexit, that tough, sometimes irrational struggle to gain an advantage, is far from over. Outcome unknown.
Dr. Jörg Köpke
Head of Communications
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The EU Retail Payments Strategy
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The European retail payments markets are still highly fragmented and at the same time faced with challenges triggered by innovations such as instant and mobile payments. The EU Retail Payments Strategy suggests policy measures to avoid inconsistencies and further fragmentation of payment markets in Europe.
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Digital Education Action Plan
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The Commission is announcing a package of measures with the aim to reset digital education in the Member States in order to equip learners with digital skills. A cepPolicyBrief highlights the central aspects of the Action Plan.
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By means of its “Farm To Fork" strategy, the EU Commission wants to create a “food environment” that makes it easier for consumers to choose healthy and sustainable diets. A cepPolicyBrief examines the consumer policy objectives and measures of the strategy.
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Biodiversity Strategy 2030
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The EU Commission lays out its programme of future legislative and non-legislative initiatives for the protection or restoration of biodiversity. A cepPolicyBrief takes account of the planned measures.
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“We have finally got an agreement. It was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it.”
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the negotiations with the United Kingdom
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“We will be your friend, your ally, your supporter, and indeed, never let it be forgotten, your number-one market.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson
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"In Europe, democracy and the rule of law should actually be a matter of course. They belong to those inalienable common values which the EU Treaty lays down for all Member States."
cep Chairman Prof. Dr. Lüder Gerken about the Rule of Law Mechanism
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Lockdown slows down retail trade in the EU
As expected, the restrictive measures introduced across Europe in November to curb COVID-19 are having an impact on sales figures in the European retail sector. Compared to the previous month, the volume of retail sales in the euro area fell by 6.1 per cent, with a slightly smaller drop of 2.9 per cent compared to November 2019. The biggest slumps were recorded in the areas of fuels and textiles, while at the same time increases can be observed in internet and mail order trade against the backdrop of the lockdown.
Source: Eurostat
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