Development of the trade relations intensity between the EU27 and the United Kingdom in the context of Brexit with a focus on the member states

The future development of trade relations between the EU27 and the United Kingdom has received attention from the British referendum in 2016. As much as 64% of the EU’s exports (intra + extra-regional exports) remain within the integration group. The aim of the paper is to examine, based on the development of the trade relations intensity between the EU27 and the United Kingdom, which EU member state are affected the most by Brexit. To examine trade intensity we calculated the trade intensity index based on the data of EUROSTAT and ITC. The intensity of trade relations has a declining trend on both sides. However, the result of the index showed higher intensity on the EU’s side. An agreement on future trade relations is crucial for both partners. Ireland as the country with the highest trade intensity in trade with the UK is the EU member affected the mostly by Brexit in terms of its exports and imports.