[ad_1]
“Me [JK] we will be your friend, your ally, your supporter and, let’s not forget, your main market, “he said at a press conference announcing the agreement.
“We have finally reached an agreement,” said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
“The road was difficult and winding, but we finally have a good deal,” he said. “The single market will be fair.”
“Scanpix” / “SIPA” nuotr./Borisas Johnsonas ir Ursula von der Leyen
“Basics for a new start with a long-term friend”
Britain officially withdrew from the EU in January following a referendum in 2016 and became the first country to break away from the political and economic project that was born when Europe recovered from World War II.
London remains subject to a transition period from EU rules that will last until midnight on December 31, after which the UK will leave the single market and the bloc’s customs union.
The final announcement of the 2,000-page deal, scheduled for another Wednesday and then Thursday morning, had to be postponed due to a last-minute dispute over fishing, as both sides disagreed on access for fishermen from the EU to British waters after 2020.
Von der Leyen thanked the British negotiators and said that although the UK would become a “third country”, it would be a reliable partner.
“This agreement is in the interest of the UK, it will lay a solid foundation for a fresh start with a long-term partner,” he said.
“And that means we can finally put Brexit behind us, and Europe continues to move forward,” added the EC chief.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, whose country would have been hit hard if London and Brussels had not reached an agreement, said the agreement was “highly anticipated”.
“While we will miss the UK in the European Union, the fact that there is an agreement now means that we can focus on how to have good relations in the years to come,” he said on Twitter.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was convinced the deal was a “good result”.
New rules and delays
Following the announcement of the agreement, the EC, led by Mr. von der Leyen, will send its text to the EU Member States.
It is estimated that they will need two or three days to analyze the agreement and decide whether to accept its provisional implementation.
The UK Parliament will also have to meet to vote on the deal during its year-end leave.
Once approved, the agreement will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force on January 1.
The European Parliament will then be able to approve the deal retroactively in 2021, EU officials said.
Assuming the process goes according to plan, the negotiating teams will have agreed to a big deal in record time.
A last-minute deal removes the threat of Britain leaving the bloc after 47 years of common history without rules defining new relationships.
As Britain leaves the Single Market and the EU Customs Area, traders on both sides of the English Channel will still face many new rules and delays.
Economists believe both economies, already weakened by the coronavirus epidemic, will be hit by supply chain disruptions and rising costs.
But the threat of a tariff refund will be eliminated and relations between former partners will be more trustworthy.
It is also a success for U. von der Leyen and his chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, who led nearly ten months of intense negotiations with Britain’s David Frost.
Reduced quota in a room
Following a 2016 referendum in which the majority of British voters called for their country to leave the Community, Brexiters bragged that they could get “the easiest trade deal ever.”
Their argument was that after such a long period of commercial activity, it would not be difficult to reach an agreement in accordance with the EU rules and regulations.
However, European capitals were concerned that if such a major competitor at their doorstep deregulated their industry, their companies would face unfair competition.
Brussels argued that the only way to keep the land border between Ireland and the United Kingdom open was to leave Northern Ireland, a British province, at its customs union.
EU members such as France, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands have also refused to deny access to UK waters.
The issue of fishing quotas became the latest obstacle to reaching an agreement when member states, led by France, rejected the UK proposal this week.
London wanted to reduce the catch quota for EU fishermen in British waters by more than a third, and that the transition period for these changes to take effect would be three years.
The EU, and in particular France, Denmark and the Netherlands, have sought a 25% reduction in the quota, with a transitional period of six years.
The final agreement provides for a 25% reduction in the EU quota. in a year and a half.
After this transition period, access to the UK’s fish-rich waters will be negotiated annually.
Mr Barnier informed ambassadors and senior members of the European Parliament on Tuesday that he had made the latest proposal on fisheries and that it was up to the political leaders.
After that, Johnson and Von der Leyen spoke on the phone and a compromise was finally reached.
[ad_2]
