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The end of the Brexit saga is already a fact with the end of the transition period and the entry into force of an agreement on future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Four and a half years after the referendum, in which 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the EU, the divorce is now official and final.
The UK, which officially left the EU on January 31, 2020, will no longer apply European regulations as of today, abandoning the single market, the customs union and other institutions such as the Erasmus student exchange program, but retaining the access to a market of 450 million consumers. The Associated Press reported.
Both sides say it is an opportunity to turn a new page in the relations built during the reconstruction of Europe after World War II, in which, however, Britain, which joined the European Community in 1973, went to often a reluctant participant in an ever closer political and economic integration, Reuters noted.
The deal reached on Christmas Eve aims to avoid the economic shock that would inevitably come with a possible no-deal Brexit, with dire consequences for trade, amounting to almost a trillion dollars.
“It has been a long road. It is time to leave Brexit behind. Our future is in Europe,” wrote the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, yesterday on Twitter after the signing ceremony.
Today, @eucopresident and I signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Prime Minister @BorisJohnson He will sign it later today in London.
It’s been a long road. It is time to leave Brexit behind.
Our future is made in Europe. pic.twitter.com/fjybWryJNY
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 30, 2020
“This is not the end, but the beginning of a wonderful relationship between the UK and our friends and partners in the European Union,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after initialing the 1,246-page document and raise your thumb in front of the cameras.
He then continued in a more humorous tone, addressing journalists: “I know the question everyone is asking, have I read it? The answer is yes. This is big business for this country, but also for our friends and partners.” . .
The document was ratified last night by both houses of parliament and approved by Queen Elizabeth II.
The agreement, which provides for the absence of customs duties and quotas in bilateral trade, must also be ratified by the European Parliament. This is expected to happen in March and, until then, the European Commission plans to apply its provisions provisionally.
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