Trade impacts of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and
the United Kingdom
This paper assesses the medium term impact of the United Kingdom leaving the EU Single
Market under the terms of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) reached
at the end of 2020 using the OECD METRO CGE model. The analysis does not include any
transitional costs to fully implementing the new trade agreement, nor does it take
into account stress on the economy as a result of COVID-19. Lastly, only the implications
on services trade from regulatory restrictions on the free movement of people have
been incorporated in the analysis while the wider labour market impacts of cross-border
movement of people are left aside. Results from the simulation show that real GDP
losses in the European Union, in the worst case scenario are expected to be around
0.6% in the medium term, but would vary markedly across countries. Ireland would experience
the largest losses, while countries with loose trade links with the United Kingdom
would barely be affected. The decline in trade is not uniform among sectors. European
Union member states are expected to import less professional services such as financial
services and insurance, communication, and other business services. UK exports are
estimated to fall by about 6.3% and imports by 8.1% in the medium term. The overall
medium-term loss in real GDP could amount to 4.4%.
Published on December 22, 2021
In series:OECD Economics Department Working Papersview more titles