No abstract

Motivation: The results of the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU are far-reaching, but hard to predict. One of the areas related to UK's withdrawal from the EU is whether it will maintain its integrity. The evolving structure of the UK, persistent trends of separatism in the UK, geographical differences in attitudes of UK citizens to Brexit create the background of the study. Aim: Our goal is to find out whether the effect of Brexit will be leaving the EU by whole Britain and to determine geopolitical and geo-economic consequences of Brexit. The research is an interdisciplinary economic and law study. We use economic (quantitative and qualitative) and legal methods applicable to the research of international institutions using institutional and functional approaches. Results: Brexit will be a factor of permanent disintegration of UK. Brexit changes the perception and attractiveness of European integration. Brexit will impact the transatlantic order.

The objective of the study is to verify the implementation, by the EU, of the treaties’ obligations to proliferate “non-trade” European values in agreements with Asian countries. The thesis of the study is that the EU with “new generation” agreements strengthens the cohesion of the western hemisphere and creates the conditions for its enlargement. An instrument supporting the strengthening and development of the western hemisphere is the policy of “change through trade” combined with the promotion of “free and fair trade”. We claim that this policy contributed to political change in the world – the expansion of international law, the principles of the UN Charter, and EU values. Influence beyond the parties to the agreements takes place, although formally the agreements only govern the relationship between the parties. This influence is the outcome of, among other things, demonstrating the implementation of the values and benefits of value-based cooperation. By agreements (FTAs, IPAs and political) with Asian countries, the network of connections among the states of the Western hemisphere is developed and the community of values reinforced. The institutionalisation of the community of values of EU-Asian countries also fosters the institutionalisation of ties among the democratic Asian countries.

The article analyses the agreements concluded by the EU with Japan: Economic Partnership Agreement, Strategic Partnership Agreementand the negotiated agreement: Investment Protection Agreement. EPA liberalizes trade in goods and services. By setting the legal framework for a strategic partnership, SPA facilitates cooperation against common challenges. IPA will regulate standards for investment protection and disputes resolution. The analysis consists: – the content of the Agreements; – socio-economic and political potential of the parties; – EU’s legal powers to negotiate and conclude agreements, and its competence, whether exclusive or shared, to enter into these Agreements; – the importance of Agreements for their parties and for other international actors as well as for regional, trans-regional and global relations. The thesis of the study is the statement that in a world where instability is increasing and security is reduced, the parties are fulfilling their, as real great powers, obligation to bear special responsibility for the implementation of the values represented. The Agreements confirm the community of values on which they are embedded and create conditions for strengthening these values. The study consists of five parts. First we analyse the subject matter of the Agreements , then their actors, and the reasons of concluding them and why. In part IV \we explain the importance of the Agreements for the contracting parties and for the international community, and in part V we concentrate on the Agreements as seen from the external perspective. The conclusions state that the Agreements institutionalise security communitywhere the security and defence policy component is still relatively weak, but is also being developed. The agreements making closer political and economic ties between the UE and Japan open the way to creation of the EU’s security community with “democratic diamonds” in the Asia–Pacific region.

Services play an increasingly important role in economies and international trade and are a vital element of building competitive advantage of nations. The aim of the paper is to determine the competitive position of Poland in trade in services with Germany and its changes. The RCA index is used to determine the international competitiveness of services. A special attention is devoted to high-tech knowledge-intensive services due to their potential impact on building competitiveness of all sectors of economy. Germany is a reference country as it is the most important trade partner of Poland. The time scope covers generally years 2004-2014. The analysis revealed that services development is lagged in Poland in comparison with Germany, but there is an ongoing convergence of structures of both economies. The share of high-tech services increased in Poland’s services exports, but Poland does not reveal comparative advantage in any of high-tech knowledge-intensive services.