The European Union and the United Kingdom have finally agreed on a post-Brexit trade deal. For four years, the two sides hemmed and hawed, and engaged in mutual recriminations. The bitterness was something that GIS founder and chairman Prince Michael of Liechtenstein warned against back in 2016, just after the vote. “The largest danger is overreaction by the EU and the remaining members. This includes any attempt to make an example out of the UK,” he wrote. However, he also pointed out how important a trading partner the UK was for the EU – a fact both finally realized just in time. Now that it is done, it may be worth reflecting on the hopeful note he struck. “So Europe should not paralyze itself in a hysteria of whining, but grasp the opportunities. The referendum and its long-term outcome, despite the immediate result, could yet prove to be a net positive.”