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At the turn of the year, Britain is also leaving the EU internal market and customs union after a transitional phase of Brexit. “This is a great time for this country. We have freedom in our hands and it is now up to us to make the most of it,” Johnson said Thursday in his New Year’s address to the British people.
The UK can now do things differently, “and, if necessary, better than our friends in the EU.” After 47 years of membership, Britain left the EU at the end of January 2020. The trade and association agreement negotiated with the EU at the last minute is now aimed at avoiding a hard break. The most important point is that there will be no tariffs or quantity restrictions on merchandise trade. In addition, the nearly 1,250-page contract regulates many other issues, including fisheries and cooperation in energy, transport, justice and police. As a result, the UK remains subject to European standards in several areas. On the EU side, there was not enough time for ratification in the European Parliament. Therefore, the contract is initially applied on a provisional basis.
Gibraltar joins the Schengen area
Immediately before Britain left the EU internal market and customs union, the Brexit trade pact also cleared the last hurdle: the deal was officially published Thursday in the EU law magazine. A spokesman for the German presidency of the Council of the EU announced that it could be used provisionally from January 1, 2021, in the report.
Meanwhile, Spain and Great Britain reached an agreement in principle at the last minute that Britain’s Gibraltar would normally join the Schengen area without border controls. This prevented the border between Spain and Gibraltar at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula from becoming an impervious external border for the EU as of January 1, 2021.
“New beginning” for the kingdom
Hardliners of Brexit anticipated the historic event in advance. Due to the crown’s protection measures for the historic event on Friday night in the kingdom, no celebrations are allowed, but the media that consider themselves supporters of Brexit applauded Thursday. The “Daily Mail” predicted a “new beginning” for the kingdom, the “Daily Express” awaited the “best hour” in the country’s history.
The chime of Big Ben in London at 11pm (midnight CET) will open a new chapter, both newspapers summed up the hopes of Brexit supporters. However, many Britons are now extremely critical of Brexit and its eventual implementation, including in the retail sector.
