Tariffs cut on cheese, pork and poultry in UK-Norway trade deal

Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, described the UK-EEA deal as “necessary” and a “good thing” but said its success depended on the baseline of measurement. “If you are comparing it to normal free trade agreements, then it is certainly true that the deal has raised the bar in some areas, for example mutual recognition of professional qualifications,” he said.  “But if you are comparing the new trade deal to the pre-Brexit relationship, with both the UK and the EEA members in the single market, then the new deal doesn’t come close to offering the same levels of economic access and benefits.”