European Parliament: Yes to the UK exit agreement

The MEPs in Brussels gathered at 18 to vote on the exit agreement that the UK negotiated with the EU and which the British lower house voted yes to earlier this year.

Of the 751 members, one-third, ie just over 250, needed to be in place for Parliament to have the right to vote in the resolution. Thereafter, a simple majority of voters applied.

The vote went through with 621 yes votes and 49 no votes. 13 members were absent at the time of voting.

Following the decision of the European Parliament, member states are expected to give a definitive clear sign to the exit agreement by written approval on Thursday.

Before the vote, several of the parliamentarians took the opportunity to say a few words or to say thank-you and farewell greetings to the British. Several of the speeches were emotionless and in some cases it led to tears among the congregation.

After the vote, the entire parliament joined the Scottish folk song Auld Lang Syne.

The general attitude to the vote was that the proposal, prepared in Parliament's constitutional committee, should be voted on without drama. When the committee itself voted to recommend a yes to the exit, it ended with 23-3, to the yes side.

The official last day for Britain is Friday 31 January, a date that was valid regardless of the vote in Parliament on Wednesday.

It is only at 23, British time, on Friday night the actual Brexit happens and a big clock counting down the seconds will be projected on 10 Downing Street and from there Prime Minister Boris Johnson will also deliver a televised speech to the nation.

After leaving, more specifically on February 1, a transitional period will begin ticking, with special transitional rules, to facilitate both the general public and entrepreneurs. The period is valid until 31 December this year, which means, among other things, that trade, financial support, work and travel continue as usual.

What is new is that the British MPs are returning home and that the British ministers and officials no longer participate in working group and ministerial meetings in the EU.

Michel Barnier has been the EU's chief negotiator on the Brexit issue, and will continue to lead the negotiations.

But even though the exit agreement has now been formally approved by the European Parliament, negotiations on new agreements still remain, especially in trade. Negotiations are expected to begin in late February.

The EU and the UK will also agree on what the relationship will look like in the future.

In the meantime, the UK continues to be part of the EU's internal market and the customs union, as well as paying towards the EU budget. Swedes with British citizenship who want to live in the UK must also apply for "settled status", a new permanent residence permit.