The European Union and the United Kingdom: new legal framework for cooperation

Introduction: the paper analyzes the main stages of the negotiation process between the European Union and the United Kingdom on the issue of concluding a basic agreement regulating the future relations of the two parties in various areas of cooperation. The purpose of the study is to study and analyze the political and legal aspects of the negotiation process for the conclusion of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the content of its main provisions, and the impact on the future framework of relations between the parties. Methods: in the course of the study, both general scientific methods of cognition and private legal methods (formal-legal, historical- legal) were used. Results: the paper proves that, despite all the difficulties that arose during the negotiation process throughout 2020, the parties managed to overcome numerous differences and conclude a basic agreement that outlined the future framework of relations between the EU and the UK. Conclusions: the analysis showed that the Agreement on Trade and Cooperation between the EU and the UK is unlikely to be the endpoint of the Brexit process. Although the Agreement establishes a framework for interaction on many issues, however, the parties are expected to continue to review and adjust the legal framework of the relationship, since, on the one hand, it is possible to supplement the Agreement on Trade and Cooperation with other treaties to regulate other areas of crucial importance for the parties that are not covered by the document, and on the other hand, also concerning some issues that, although settled, will soon require additional legal regulation, which indicates that the historic Brexit process is far from complete.