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London / Brussels (dpa) - Great Britain has made the final break with the European Union.
Great Britain was no longer a member of the international community since the end of January 2020, and since midnight the country no longer belongs to the EU internal market and the customs union.
«This is a great moment for this country.
We have freedom in our hands and it is now up to us to make the most of it, ”Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his New Years address to the British people.
Great Britain can now do things differently - “and if necessary better than our friends in the EU”.
However, due to the corona, the prime minister had to forego a big Brexit jubilee: Johnson had announced that he would spend the historic hour with his family in his official residence in Downing Street, London.
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At the turn of the year, the eleven-month transition phase since leaving the EU, during which largely the same rules still applied, ended.
At the turn of the year, the economic divorce will take place.
The British Parliament had waved through the ratification law presented by Johnson within a few hours shortly before the turn of the year.
Head of State Queen Elizabeth II approved the law with her "Royal Assent".
On New Year's Eve, the contract was officially published in the EU's legal gazette.
A spokesman for the German EU Council Presidency announced that it could be used provisionally from January 1, 2021 as planned.
"A no deal was averted, just in time," he tweeted.
On the EU side, there was not enough time for ratification in the European Parliament.
It should follow in the spring.
After 47 years of membership, Great Britain left the EU at the end of January 2020.
The trade and partnership agreement negotiated with the EU at the last minute is now intended to avoid a hard break.
The most important point is that no customs duties or quantity restrictions will apply in the trade in goods.
In addition, the almost 1,250-page contract regulates many other topics, including fishing and cooperation in energy, transport, justice, and the police.
The UK remains bound by European standards in several areas.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210101-99-864991 / 2