Brexit was once the topic of every conversation in the United Kingdom (U.K.), but, overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not something we hear as much about these days.
The U.K. left the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020 (bringing to an end 47 years of British membership of the EU and the institutions that preceded it) under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, an agreement struck by London and Brussels in October 2019. However, during the standstill post-Brexit transition period, most of the arrangements that were valid during the U.K.’s EU membership have been kept in place. As a result, and until the transition period expires on December 31, 2020, the U.K. must continue to comply with all EU rules and laws which include the rules on freedom of movement, cross border travel and personal rights. This means that up until now virtually nothing has changed for businesses or for the public.
However, the end of the transition period is in sight, and it will bring significant changes regardless of whether or not an agreement is reached on future trading and other relations. The U.K. and EU have both now ruled out any extension to the Brexit transition period so – barring the unlikeliest of U-turns over the next couple of weeks – we now know that a new post-Brexit landscape will take effect on January 1, 2021.
For more on planning for global mobility in a Post-Brexit world, please click here.