European diplomat: The ambassadors ’reaction was normal because the divorce is not good news

The European Union begins the procedures for signing the "post-Brexit" agreement tomorrow

Barnier emphasized that the free trade agreement is the result of months of intense work.

Reuters

The European Union will start, tomorrow, the procedures for signing and implementing the trade agreement it concluded with London last Thursday, and the European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, presented it to the member states, the day before yesterday, in its English version only.

A European diplomat told AFP that the reaction of ambassadors from European Union member states to this non-final version of the agreement was normal, adding: "There was no great joy, because the divorce is not good news."

The diplomat added that "the agreement, which consists of 1,200 pages, will be subject to scrutiny to determine whether it contains hidden issues that could raise problems."

It is decided that the ambassadors will meet again, tomorrow, to launch the procedures for signing the agreement by the member states in preparation for ratification by the European Parliament.

Member states must approve and sign the text on the evening of the day after tomorrow, or next Wednesday, in order for it to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Thursday, allowing it to enter into force in the first minute of Friday dawn on the first of January 2021. Member states should also You agree to apply the agreement temporarily for a period of two months, pending the completion of the formal approval process.

The diplomat said, "The European Union will remind of the contents of the agreement and the manner in which the interests of the European Union were defended against the risks of unfair competition, and in a way that allows the agreement and does not allow it to be avoided because the United Kingdom leaves the single market and the customs union.

The British government and the European Commission published the full text of their historic agreement that frames the relationship after the Kingdom’s exit from the bloc, and European negotiator Michel Barnier said in a tweet on the social networking site “Twitter” that the free exchange agreement is “the result of months of intense work”.

The agreement would prevent the imposition of customs duties and quotas on commercial exchanges between Britain and the European Union and the closure of British waters to European fishermen.

Explanatory notes and accompanying agreements on nuclear cooperation and the exchange of confidential information are added to it.

On the British side, the MPs were invited to return from their holidays to discuss the text as of Wednesday, and approval of it is almost certain as even the Labor opposition intends to support it.

Britain officially left the European Union on January 31, but it applies European rules until the end of this year, when the transitional period expires.

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