The withdrawal agreement establishes rules that effectively place Northern Ireland in two economic camps - the EU and the UK - in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. The UK bill would violate rules to prevent Businesses in Northern Ireland from enjoying a competitive advantage with public subsidies from the UK and to ensure control of goods arriving in Northern Ireland. Although the ratification procedure is relatively simple on the British side and only concerns Westminster, the EU should even support an agreement that has a narrow scope by a qualified majority in the Council (55% of the Member States representing at least 65% of the total EU population) and a majority in the European Parliament. There has been some progress in recent weeks. In addition to coordination between social security systems, the UK has weakened its position on the EU`s request to list domestic lists in the political declaration, in a single framework and not in several sectoral agreements, while the EU has reportedly found a way to respond to the UK`s demands for the role of the European Court of Justice in dispute resolution. Moreover, Brexit would not be over. Even if a comprehensive agreement is reached, implementation can take months or years. The UK will take the time to adjust to Brexit in virtually every policy area and will likely be affected in a way that is currently unforeseen. The United Kingdom has passed the Internal Market Act, which covers trade within England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It aims to change key elements of the withdrawal agreement approved by the EU and the UK earlier this year.

Although not legally binding, the political declaration has the status of an international treaty. It lists the areas in which both sides commit to reaching an agreement. The focus is on trade in goods and services. Discussions have not been scheduled. The deadlines for a fisheries agreement and the equivalency of financial services, both set for 30 June, have not been met and the ambition to reach "early agreement on the principles underlying an agreement" has not been achieved, although at the June high-level meeting Johnson was asked to "put a tiger in the tank".