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Fast-track ratification of the post-Brexit trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union was launched on Christmas Day (local time) when ambassadors from the 27 nations of the bloc began evaluating the agreement that will enter into force. in a week.
At the one-off meeting on Friday, the ambassadors were briefed on the details of the draft treaty, believed to be around 1,250 pages long, by the EU’s top Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.
They are scheduled to meet again on Monday and have informed lawmakers in the European Parliament that they intend to make a decision on the preliminary implementation of the deal in a few days.
While expressing sadness over the break with the UK, EU leaders are relieved that the tortuous aftermath of the Brexit vote has come to a conclusion in Thursday’s deal on future trade ties.
All member states are expected to support the deal, as is the European Parliament, which can only give its consent retroactively, as it cannot meet again until 2021. British lawmakers also have to give their approval, and will summon them next week to vote on the agreement.
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Both parties claim that the deal protects their cherished goals.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it gives the UK control over its money, borders, laws and fishing grounds. The EU says it protects its single market of around 450 million people and contains safeguards to ensure the UK does not unfairly undermine the bloc’s standards.
Paul Grover / AP
The Brexit deal is a great victory for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson hailed the deal as a “new beginning” for the UK in its relationship with European neighbors. Opposition leaders, even those who are willing to back it because it is better than a no-deal scenario, said it adds unnecessary costs to businesses and does not provide a clear framework for the crucial services sector, which accounts for 80 percent of the British. economy.
In a Christmas message, Johnson tried to sell the deal to a tired public after years of Brexit-related disputes since the UK narrowly voted to leave the EU in 2016. Although the UK formally left the bloc on January 31st, it remains in a transition. period linked to EU rules until the end of this year.
Without a trade agreement, the tariffs would have been imposed on trade between the two parties as of January 1. Both parties would have suffered in that scenario, with the British economy suffering a greater impact at least in the short term, as it is more dependent on trade with the EU than vice versa.
Olivier Hoslet / AP
European Union Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier, left, carries a folder containing the Brexit trade deal during a special Coreper meeting at the European Council building in Brussels on Christmas Day.
“I have a little gift for anyone looking for something to read at that sleepy post-Christmas lunch moment, and here it is, news, good news of great joy, because this is a deal,” Johnson said in his video. message, brandishing a sheaf of papers.
“A deal to give certainty to businesses, travelers and all investors in our country as of January 1. A deal with our friends and partners in the EU, ”he said.
Although tariffs and quotas have been avoided, there will be more red tape as the UK is leaving the single market and the EU’s frictionless customs union. Businesses will be required to submit customs forms and declarations for the first time in years. There will also be different rules on product labeling, as well as controls on agricultural products.
Despite those additional costs, many British companies exporting extensively through the EU expressed relief that a deal had finally been reached, as it avoids the potentially catastrophic imposition of tariffs.
“While the agreement is not completely comprehensive, it does at least provide a foundation on which to build going forward,” said Laura Cohen, executive director of the British Ceramics Confederation.
One sector that appears to be disappointed is the fishing industry and both parties expressed dissatisfaction with the new agreements. Discussions over fishing rights largely explained the delay in reaching an agreement.
Virginia Mayo / AP
Britain voted by a narrow margin to leave the EU in a referendum in 2016.
Under the terms of the deal, the EU will give up a quarter of the quota it catches in UK waters, much less than the 80 percent the UK initially demanded. The system will be rolled out gradually over five and a half years, after which the quotas will be re-evaluated.
“In the end, it was clear that Boris Johnson wanted a blanket trade deal and was willing to sacrifice the catch,” said Barrie Deas, executive director of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations.
The French government, which had long fought for access to fishing, announced aid for its fishing industry to help cope with the smaller quota, but insisted the deal protects French interests.
The president of the French ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, Jean-Marc Puissesseau, said that no matter what is in the Brexit trade agreement, the life of his port will become more difficult because “there will no longer be free movement of merchandise ”.
Some 10,000 jobs in the Boulogne area are related to fishing and its seafood processing industry, he said, and about 70 percent of the seafood they use comes from British waters.
“Without fish, there is no business,” he said. The Associated Press.
