More Thoughts On EU-UK Joint Committee Statement

The announcement from the EU-UK Joint Committee on the Northern Ireland protocol (see 1321 and 1342GMT bullets) does seem to point in a positive direction for EU-UK relations in either eventuality:

• The removal of clauses 44, 45 and 47 of the UK Internal Market bill avoids the prospect of the UK breaching international law in relation to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
• On one hand, this could be seen as paving the way for an FTA between the UK and EU to be reached in the coming hours or days. The EU had been staunchly opposed to the clauses, and the UK gov't withdrawing them could be seen as a signal of goodwill in the hope that other concessions can be made in the ongoing talks.
• On the other hand, the removal of the clauses could be seen to pave the way for a 'legal' no-deal Brexit. US President-Elect Joe Biden and many congressional leaders had been major critics of the clauses, saying repeatedly that the UK gov't doing anything that threatens the Good Friday Agreement would mean an FTA between the US and the UK would be impossible. As such, the removal of the clauses may be an attempt to smooth the UK's image in the international arena ahead of any no deal Brexit.