Atomic Union Divorce Drama: UK Withdraws From EU Single Market And Agreement Goes Into Force

The end of the transition period marks the end of the drama of the divorce between the UK and the EU. As of January 1. the British will trade with the Commonwealth under the new rules. The EU and the UK will see changes in all walks of life.

Although the UK and the EU have managed to agree on tariff- and quota-free trade after difficult negotiations, experts warn that an increased administrative burden on businesses will not be avoided. At the end of the transitional period, the EU rules will cease to apply and no more than 500 million will remain immediately. movement of people between the UK and the 27 EU countries.

For the first time in decades, customs controls at the border will return, despite expected queues and disruptions due to additional administrative work in NAFTA, and the agreement does not cover 80% of the services that make up the British economy.

The terms of the trade were agreed at the last minute, so technically the company did not have the opportunity to fully prepare for the changed reality. The European Parliament has not even managed to ratify the agreement, it will only be done this month. There is no doubt that disruptions and rising business costs will not be avoided in the first few months. Queues planned at the border.

We invite you to read more about all the pending changes HERE.

After the signing of the EU trade agreement with the British, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, did not hide that the agreement reached is very sweet for Europe. VŽ has already written that the trade deal is paradoxical: worse trade relations have been agreed than before.

“It was a very long journey, but now is the time to leave Brexit behind. Our future is being built in Europe,” said the President of the European Commission.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself, the architect of the divorce, told the British that “the fate of this great country is now firmly in our hands.”

“This moment is finally coming and it’s time to seize it,” Johnson said.

Johnson said Thursday that he predicted “a new beginning in the history of our country and a new relationship with the EU.”

The leader said on Thursday that Britain, which eventually left the EU after the transition after Brexit, would be an “open, generous, world-oriented, internationalist and free-trade” country.

“We have freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it,” the prime minister said in his New Year’s address.

In his speech, Johnson expressed hope that the coronavirus crisis will soon end with more and more vaccines, including those developed in the UK by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.

photo :: 1nocrop

However, a “tough fight” remains at the forefront of the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus more contagious in Britain, he said.

Britain, which will take over the G7 presidency and host the United Nations Climate Change Summit at COP 26, will work with partners from around the world, Johnson said.

He also called for unity in the UK, with the Brexito saga particularly highlighting their differences.

“And I think there will be a pervasive instinct on the part of the people of this country to come together as one United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – working together to express our values ​​around the world,” said the head of government. .

“Girlfriend and Ally”

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, said on Thursday that Britain will remain “our friend and ally” after Brexit.

In his New Year’s address to the nation, Macron said: “Tonight, for the first time, a country, the United Kingdom, will leave the European Union.”

The centrist pro-European president reiterated his belief that the UK’s decision to leave the EU was the result of “many lies and false promises”.

He also blamed the “ailments of Europe” that created the conditions for Brexit in 2016, but at the same time reiterated that France’s “destiny” was Europe.

Macron has vehemently criticized the end of his 47 years of membership in the Community and has repeatedly condemned the “lies” that have fueled the Brexito campaign.

Macron tried to assure him that the French economy would not be particularly affected. According to him, the post-Brexit trade relations agreement negotiated with London will help “defend our interests, our industries, our fishermen and our European unity.”

The European Commission has confirmed that English will remain the official language of the Community after Brexit, Euronews reports.

It is true that the latest trade deal between the UK and the EU is unlikely to end the negotiations. And in the future we will have to negotiate cooperation on various issues.

The UK, a major player in finance and diplomacy, a major member of NATO, is the first country to withdraw from the EU to unite countries after World War II. The EU loses 66 million population and 2.32 billion. economy worth the euro.

Challenges on the border

Starting at midnight at the Eurotunnel terminal in the French port city of Calais, officials began applying new customs procedures. The first inspection was carried out by a truck from Romania carrying mail and packages.

Matt Smith, director of HSF Logistics, a transport company that deals primarily with fresh meat and frozen goods between Britain and Europe, said he had shipped trucks to the EU-15 on New Year’s Eve before it took effect. the new regime.

The system of customs inspections put in place by the UK government post-Brexit is still entirely new. Mr. Smith is considering how the company will complete the new paperwork.

“Actually, I am not completely calm, it seems that my head hurts a little,” he told AFP. “There will be interruptions at some point in this queue.”

However, regardless of the new obstacles that emerge, the British government does not question the benefits of Brexit.

The first ferry

The first ferry to arrive from the UK after leaving the EU customs union was anchored in the port of Calais on Friday, and border control procedures for three dozen vehicles arriving by ferry went smoothly, it reported. an AFP news agency.

The Pride of Kent ferry, operated by P&O Ferries, moored at Calais Pier at 7 pm 15 minutes. Greenwich Mean Time (9:15 am Lithuanian time), a few hours after Britain’s withdrawal from the customs union and the single market, at the end of the post-Brexit transition.

It was the first ferry to arrive in Calais from Great Britain after New Year’s Eve.

Under so-called smart border rules, which French authorities have put in place to reduce queues, carriers must send information about their loads in advance and leave with the full flow of traffic or be invited to additional checks.

Of the 36 trucks unloaded from The Pride of Kent ferry, arriving from the British port of Dover, three were ordered to stop for additional inspections, an AFP correspondent said.

Jean-Marc Puissesseau, head of the port of Calais, said on Thursday that officials were not concerned about the new order, as the necessary training had been carried out and 13 million euros had been invested in the infrastructure. EUR.

About 70% of the trade between Britain and the EU takes place through the French ports of Calais and Dunkirk. On average, 60,000 passengers and 12,000 trucks pass through these ports per day.

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