The ‘level playing field’ and the future relationship between the UK and EU

Author: Sophie Andrews-McCarroll

One of the major stumbling blocks in the contentious negotiations between the EU and UK on the future relationship thus far has been the issue of the so-called ‘level playing field’.

In the Political Declaration on the Future Relationship agreed in October 2019, both sides committed to ensuring “ensuring a level playing field for open and fair competition” as part of the future economic relationship. The UK has since said that it cannot accept the level of alignment and oversight the EU has said this would entail.

This briefing paper on the level playing field will outline what the EU and UK are respectively seeking on the level playing field commitments and investigate the basis for their red lines, in order to establish what scope, if any, there is for agreement on this issue.