The official has arrived. Under the tree is a very welcome gift: the Brexit deal.
After the rumors circulated in the morning came the announcement of London and Brussels. The go-ahead for the compromise has been signed final on a free trade agreement – a text of around 2000 pages – which banishes the nightmare of a traumatic commercial 'no deal'. The agreement, reached in extremis, will enter into force from 2021 January XNUMX, expiry of the post-divorce transition phase, albeit subject to parliamentary ratifications.
Overnight, after three and a half years of negotiations and quarrels and a breath away from the deadline of December 31, 2020, The European Union and the United Kingdom have therefore reached an agreement on the divorce.
“We have finally reached an agreement, it is good, balanced and the most responsible thing to do for both partiesEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a joint press conference with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier. "The negotiations were difficult" but "it was an agreement worth fighting for".
"The United Kingdom - continued von der Leyen - is a third country but remains a partner, we share the same values and interests, we will stand shoulder to shoulder to achieve common goals".
“We kept our promises, we made Brexit, we took back control of our future,” Boris Johnson announced in a televised address to the nation. to have a contented and prosperous Britain as a neighbour. we will be your ally, your support and let's not forget your market”.
The agreement Averts the dreaded no deal, which from 1 January could have had devastating economic and political effects.
Sources from London and Brussels let it be known that the parties have found a compromise on the subject at the center of the controversy: fishing. Just two days ago the EU had rejected the offer of the United Kingdom which provided for a 30% reduction in the value of EU fishing authorized in British waters. Brussels considered any reduction of more than 25% "unacceptable". Probable, therefore, that Johnson has decided to make a few more concessions in order to secure an agreement that manages to revive his political popularity, severely compromised by the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The details of the agreement are not yet known, but one thing is certain: there will be no duties on the goods and London and Brussels will continue to collaborate on crime and security. The parties have also managed to agree on competition and state aid, finding a "middle ground" that will allow London to establish its own rules and Brussels to have reassurances and guarantees on competition. However, services remained outside the agreement, which will be negotiated later.
The agreement reached today will have to be approved by both parliaments. Westminster should meet on December 30, 24 hours before the end of the transition period, while there is still no certainty about the European Parliament. Strasbourg's go-ahead could be postponed to early January. In the meantime, the agreement will be applied on a provisional basis.
(Last update: 17.10 am on 24 December).
