The period of the Brexit transition ended on New Year’s Day 2021 for the British. For the fifth time, a British government removed the promise of “global Great Britain” in the new year without being laid off. So the country is doing with Brexit like many on New Year’s morning: where – even this year at least a few – fireworks were set off and great resolutions were held, disillusionment occurred when daylight fell. It looks a bit fishy, ​​and projects that are too ambitious are shrinking to fairly small milestones.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the transition from a single member state of the European Union to “Global Britain” means “investing in worldwide relationships, advocating for a rules-based international order, and presenting Great Britain faithfully and globally.” “. According to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the country will thrive as a “prosperous free trade nation” to almost unimaginable limits.

Not much has been achieved yet. So far, the promises have been contrasted with the fact that the British have relinquished their existing access to the world’s largest free trade zone – completely unnecessarily, as anti-Brexit opponents are finding. A last-minute deal with the European Union, which was tied up on Christmas Eve, may prevent the worst. Nevertheless, trade is now more complex for the British. Their dependence on the EU is much higher than other surrounding methods. The British government has not yet been able to show “very profitable” agreements with any individual, other industrialized nations.

Great Britain has good terms to assert itself: as the fifth-largest economy in the world, as the core of the 54-nation Commonwealth and one of the five nuclear powers with a permanent seat in the UN Security Council In form, the country has a privileged position. It already had it all as a member of the European Union.

2021 offers British diplomatic opportunities

In addition, the consolidated position is in many cases based on historical benefits. The greater the past, Britain will have to play its future role in the world. In 2021, the British will have many opportunities for this. In the new year he will hold the G7 presidency and thus lead the club of the largest democratic industrial countries. In this role, Great Britain wants to invite Australia, India and South Korea and will give additional weight to the Union compared to other totalitarian major economic powers – all above China. Had Great Britain been to lay the foundation for the G10 in the future, the country would have achieved a major creative task on the world stage.

In addition, Great Britain is hosting one of the most important diplomatic events of the year in November, the United Nations Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow.

But even though Great Britain can continue to participate in the greats of world politics, its influence as a state will be less in many areas. The country must align itself with other, larger economic powers: Even in negotiations with the European Union, Prime Minister Johnson must give up all ambitions not to follow his labor, social and environmental standards in the future Was lying. It would be the same with other negotiating partners – and the more important the other party was, the less the British would have bargaining power.

What makes all further negotiations more difficult is that the British government has become a very unreliable partner in negotiations with the European Union. Face, omissions and untruths about the Prime Minister have become almost routine – and will have a sign-off effect for future trading partners.

Even before the decisive referendum in 2016 the Brexit campaign was based on untruths about EU funds. And for the next four-and-a-half years, almost all deadlines expired as London alternated between threatening gestures and blaming Brussels. The chairman of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, finally comes to the conclusion that “trust is good, but law is better” when dealing with the British government.

Johnson showed that even the written word and signature of the Prime Minister are no guarantee for credibility with unilaterally attempting to change the existing exit agreement for its own benefit. All this gives future negotiators a reason not to trust the British state. Because the best trade agreement is of no use as long as its implementation is questionable.

With the end of the Brexit transition period, the year 2021 will be a test for the British on how serious they are about their projects – and how ready they are to turn big words into deeds. Prime Minister Johnson promised that the British would have to work harder to achieve »independence« – for this he would have to present himself as a more reliable negotiating partner than he has ever been.