What does the UK-EU trade and cooperation agreement mean for health?

The announcement, on Christmas Eve 2020, that the UK and the EU had agreed a trade and cooperation agreement1 was greeted with widespread sighs of relief. But what does the deal mean for health policy, practitioners, and researchers?

First some general points. The prime minister is simply wrong when he claims to have “got Brexit done.” The agreement is only a framework and leaves many issues unresolved. The long list of transitional arrangements and unfinished business will continue for at least a decade.2 It also includes an extensive coordination structure with an indefinite five year review cycle built in.3 Many key issues, such as participation in the EU’s research programme, Horizon Europe, are still to be negotiated. Like Switzerland, we can expect negotiations with the EU to continue for ever, although with the added challenge of reaching agreement on repatriation of powers to the UK’s devolved nations.

The text of the agreement also still needs tidying up. This goes beyond the trivial, such as fixing the page numbering in …