The departure from Europe by the United Kingdom was never predicated on a desire to weaken environmental legislation. Indeed, the UK led in many environmental regulatory considerations in the formulation of EU Directives on the environment. So, while revisions to environmental policy could arise post-Brexit, the concern on the part of both Europe and the UK is that there continues to be a level playing field and neither side obtains a competitive advantage. The two key concerns, still a long way from being resolved are:
A number of pressures could lead to a divergence in environmental standards post-Brexit. The urgent risk that needs to be guarded against is that of a reduction in the current level of environmental protection. This is clearly a relevant concern for the EU27 in relation to the UK, especially if the UK pursues far-reaching trade deals with third countries which have a more deregulatory approach to the economy. However, it also can be anticipated that the UK could be more aware of, and sensitive to, any future regulatory weakening on the EU side than most of the EU’s other trading partners. This is because of the high level of familiarity with the EU environmental regulatory regime in the UK, and the potential impacts on the UK as a neighbouring economy with generally the same environmental standards at present. Were the UK to embark on an ambitious environmental agenda itself, as its current Government suggests, its sensitivity to possible regression on the part of the EU may increase, particularly in areas of legislation which are of importance to the UK. The downside risks of competitive deregulation must be avoided; but if negotiators on both sides can get the right agreement on environmental standards, we will also avoid competitiveness concerns acting as a constraint on future environmental policies. This would be a significant gain. The aim should be to create the conditions for a virtuous circle of competition between different approaches to the ambitious environmental policies which are needed both to tackle growing environmental pressures, and to deliver the high levels of environmental protection that the UK and EU public demand.
References: https://ieep.eu/publications/brexit-and-the-environment-avoiding-deregulatory-pressures
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