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The WRITING OF THE Brexit trade agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom has begun after the full text of the treaty was published today, less than a week before its implementation.
British legal experts and parliamentarians are perusing the 1,246-page document released this morning, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks to persuade Eurosceptic MPs within his party to endorse it as the “right deal” for the country.
Johnson acknowledged to Tory MPs that “the devil is in the details,” but insisted he would resist scrutiny by the Brexiteers European Investigation Group (ERG), which will convene a panel of lawyers to examine the full text before a vote by the Commons. .
But the executive director of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organization, Barrie Deas, accused Johnson of having “bottled” the fishing quotas to secure only “a fraction of what the UK is entitled to receive under international law.”
Deas said Johnson had “sacrificed” fishing to other priorities, and that the issue turned out to be a lasting sticking point during the negotiations.
“Lacking legal, moral or political influence on the fish negotiations, the EU made the entire trade deal conditional on a UK surrender on fisheries,” he said.
“In the end, the prime minister made the call and gave up, despite the rhetoric and assurances that he would not do what Ted Heath did in 1973.”
The proportion of fish in British waters that the UK can catch will increase from about half now to two thirds by the end of the five and a half year transition.
All 27 EU member states indicated they will formally back the deal the UK agreed with Brussels officials in a few days.
It covers trade worth around € 735 billion and means that goods can be sold without tariffs or quotas on the EU market.
Holiday plans canceled
The timing of the Christmas Eve deal forced politicians and officials from the UK and Brussels to break their holiday plans.
The EU ambassadors were briefed on the content of the agreement by Michel Barnier, who led the Brussels negotiating team in talks with the United Kingdom.
After a very unusual meeting on Christmas Day, with at least one diplomat in a Santa hat and another in a festive sweater, they agreed to write to the European Parliament to say that they intend to make a decision on the provisional application of the agreement. .
MPs and colleagues will be called to Westminster on December 30 to vote on the deal, but MEPs are not expected to approve it until the new year, meaning they will have to provisionally apply until they give the green light.
The British parliament will almost certainly approve the deal, with the support of the Labor Party, as the alternative would be a chaotic no-deal situation on January 1.
But Johnson is willing to retain the support of the Eurosceptics in his seats that helped him become prime minister.
This morning, former Conservative Cabinet Minister Theresa Villiers told BBC Breakfast: “I hope this treaty stands up to scrutiny and I look forward to supporting it.
“But I was chosen by a manifesto that promised to achieve Brexit, so I need to read (the document) before I can determine if this really allows us to do that or if it traps us in the regulatory orbit of the European Union. “
Johnson had texted Tory MPs on WhatsApp as he tried to get everyone on his side.
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“I really think this is the right deal for the UK and the EU,” he wrote, in a message seen by the Palestinian Authority news agency.
“We have fulfilled each of our manifesto commitments: control of money, borders, laws, fishing and everything else.
“But even more important, I believe that we now have a basis for a long-term friendship and partnership with the EU as equal sovereigns.”
He added that “I know the devil is in the details,” but the deal will survive “ruthless” scrutiny.
Officials in Brussels and the EU state capitals are also beginning to weigh the deal, with another ambassador meeting expected before the new year, possibly on December 28.
The European Commission has also announced a £ 4.5 billion fund to help the bloc’s regions and industries that will be affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the single market and the customs union, including fishing communities facing the losses as the UK acquires a larger stock share in British waters.
French Europe Minister Clement Beaune said it was a “good deal” and stressed that the EU had not accepted a deal “at all costs”.
Beaune said British food and industrial products entering the European single market after January 1 will not pay customs duties “but will have to meet all of our standards.”
“There is no country in the world that is subject to as many export rules for us as the UK,” he told Europe 1 broadcaster.
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