'Horribly complex' Brexit talks to keep UK stranded in EU for TEN years, former WTO boss
BREXIT negotiations could force the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union for ten more years, according to a stark warning from a former World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General.
Pascal Lamy: it will take TEN YEARS to leave EU
Former WTO boss Pascal Lamy warned that a trade deal will take five years from the date of the 2016 referendum and the implementation will take a further five years.
Mr Lamy insisted that trade agreements are “horribly complex” and in order to get a better deal, it will take longer to negotiate.
He told Express.co.uk: “I don’t think a future EU-UK trade regime can be negotiated in 12 months. It’s horribly complex.
“Bilateral trade agreements, if you look at what’s happened in the last years on average, it probably took five to six years to negotiate plus five or six years of implementation once you have negotiated a deal.
I don’t think a future EU-UK trade regime can be negotiated in 12 month
“You cannot do that overnight. Businesses and economic corporations need time to adjust.”
Mr Lamy, who was appointed as a European Commissioner for trade until 2004, said that you can agree on the principles of a trade regime in 12 months but you cannot do anymore.
He warned that negotiations are “horribly complex” because there are goods which have tariffs but Britain also relies heavily on services.
“Look at precedence, which is what has happened for the last 20 or 30 years, five years to negotiation and five years of implementation.
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“That’s ten years starting from the date of the referendum last year.”
MEPs passed a resolution in October to postpone trade talks until Christmas because there had not been enough progress on key Brexit issues - including the “Brexit bill”, Irish border and citizens’ rights.
Following the fifth round of talks, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned that Brexit talks were at a “disturbing” deadlock. But Mr Barnier said that he was hopeful trade talks would begin in December.
The Bank of England warned last month that Brexit trade talks must begin by December otherwise they risk having to trigger contingency plans.
