Brussels doesn't dictate any laws, member countries send elected and appointed people to Brussels then those people come together and agree on what to do and how to do it together and publish the directives like this one.

Countries like UK don't have a say on it anymore because they left the organization. EU doesn't impose any red tape over UK, it's just that if a British company wants to trade with EU needs to prove that they are doing it in accordance with the trade agreements with EU and that their products meet the EU standards.

For example, the UK companies will need to prove that the product that they sell in EU is mainly made in UK and not just an import from China(EU doesn't want UK to be hub for circumvention of trade deal, if China wants to sell stuff to EU they should do it with EU-China trade deals), then they will need to prove that their products meets the EU standards(EU doesn't want to import products that don't EU standards. Since UK is no longer a member, they can produce products that don't meet the EU standards and as a result UK companies need to prove that they meet EU standards).

That's why there's so much red tape and paperwork, this is to allow UK not to produce their stuff in accordance with the EU regulations and sign their own trade deal. For example, UK is now free to import chlorinated chicken from the USA and lead-paint from China if that's what they want or in less cynical words, UK is free to trade with the rest of the world in their own terms. That was one of the core promises of Brexit anyway and it was delivered.

Ps: banana curvature thing is a Euromyth[0].

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromyth

Let's face it, a lot of people will take issue with _anything_ you'd say, for just about anything you choose as example and for different sets of "a lot of people". So while you are right, I cannot take it as an argument for either way. It's just the human nature and by extension the nature of democracy. It's also human to have sometimes leaders looking like acting irrationally, although they are very rational following their own goals which not always overlap with their voters and even less with their non-voting citizens. The only thing I don't approve in your text is blaming the others for not delivering something according to my taste. Like, if I'm not in the EU, there should be zero expectation that the EU does something I like.

The banana curvature trope is a right-wing talking point designed to get people mad about consumer protection laws. It’s not an example of overreach:

https://voxeurop.eu/en/how-bonkers-brussels-went-bananas-the...

> but most of the issues I see come from foreign entities being in denial of Brexit happening and now drafting in draconian laws that look like they're punishing britain, even if it's just a case of the EU never thought to harmonize EU<->UK relations into 1 concrete set of agreements after the fact.

No way. The UK almost left with no agreement, Boris was pushing for it, he was put into power on that platform. Theresa May was probably the most sane voice of the Tories post-facto of Brexit, trying at least to push into some kind of deal to bring harmonisation between EU-UK laws, and she was thoroughly rejected by the British public and Tories in the House of Commons.

You can't blame the EU for the decisions you (as in UK) took, you voted for Brexit, the UK population voted in Boris, you reap what you sow.

There's no "punishment", the EU also loses a lot by not having the UK, European academia lost a lot, European advanced industry lost a lot, the EU didn't want the UK to leave, the EU tried to push for deals and was put on a cold foot by Boris's government...

It's frankly absurd to read this, the degree of victimisation for your own decisions, absolutely no one has gained anything from Brexit, neither in the UK or in the EU. I've seen friends scrambling to get residence in the countries they lived for years because of this stupidity.

Bendy bananas was never an issue, I can't take you very seriously if you are going to spew out tabloidal right-wing vitriol against the EU which was never an issue. The EU has many real issues to be discussed and tackled, using that stupid argument is not only stupid but shows absolute lack of grasp of what were the real issues within the EU.

Sure, here's the list of the things you have to do to trade with EU that you previously didn't had to:

https://www.gov.uk/eori

https://www.gov.uk/check-customs-declaration

Commercial Invoice: A detailed invoice for each transaction is needed for customs clearance, containing information like the value of goods, description, and terms of sale.

Packing List: Provides details of the goods being shipped, quantities, weights, and packaging information. It's used by customs to verify contents. Commodity Codes (HS Codes): Classify the goods you are trading. These codes determine the duties and VAT that may apply.

Certificates of Origin:If your goods are eligible for preferential treatment (e.g., lower tariffs), you might need proof of origin to claim this benefit under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

VAT and Duties: If you're selling to EU consumers, you may need to register for VAT in the EU or use the One-Stop Shop (OSS) scheme for simplified reporting.

Proof of Transport:ocuments such as bills of lading or airway bills to demonstrate that goods have left the UK or entered the EU.

Product-Specific Documentation: ome goods (e.g., food, chemicals, or electronics) may require additional certifications, safety data sheets, or compliance with product standards (e.g., CE or UKCA marking).

Trade Agreement Compliance: Ensure that your business complies with the terms set out in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, especially regarding rules of origin and applicable tariffs.

Here is some reporting on the impact of the businesses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-7rDYo3FR4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO2lWmgEK1Y

I'm sure Brexit even created jobs(for bureaucracy) to sustain previous levels of trade. I guess there's no evidence that increased bureaucracy is bad for business and the stats suggests that UK is doing great according to the government and some business with interest of processing EU users data not being able to do the things that Samsung is doing is a proof of reduction of bureaucracy. No?