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Nearly a year of intense negotiations between the EU and the UK finally resulted in a 2,000-page deal on Christmas Eve. This means a pause in the weekend celebrations for EU ambassadors from all 27 member states.
Ambassadors from the 27 EU member states were briefed on the Brexit deal in Brussels on Christmas Day.
On Christmas Day, they will hear from the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, who briefs them in Brussels on the multi-faceted deal.
It is expected to take two to three days for them to review the deal before they can give it approval, Reuters writes. Members of the European Parliament also want to delve into the details and have announced that they will not rush to pass an approval.
However, Parliament is not required for the agreement to enter into force on a provisional basis. In this way, duty-free and quota-free trade in goods is expected to continue uninterrupted when the British leave the internal market and the EU customs union on 31 December.
The UK formally left the EU on January 31 this year, but special transition rules have applied since then.
Even if the trade agreement ensures zero tariffs, the trade in goods through the English Channel will be forced to adapt to a series of new rules and bureaucracy that will involve costs.
The deal is expected to be approved by a wide margin in the British Parliament in a vote scheduled for December 30.
Prime Minister Boris Johnsons’ Conservative Party has a large majority in the lower house and even the opposition Labor party has announced that it will support the deal as the only alternative to a chaotic non-contractual withdrawal.
