EU negotiator Michel Barnier informed the ambassadors of the 27 member states in Brussels about the outcome of the negotiations, as a spokesman for the German EU presidency announced. The ambassadors then adopted a letter to the European Parliament in which they announced their intention to provisionally put the agreement into effect from January 1st.
The provisional application creates the time for “a proper and complete democratic examination of the draft agreement by the European Parliament,” said an EU diplomat. This has already made it clear that the time for regular ratification by the end of the year is too short.
Labor party signals approval
The agreement negotiated by Barnier and the EU Commission is now being examined in detail in all European capitals. The next meeting of the EU ambassadors is planned on Monday to discuss reactions, questions and possible objections from the member states. The ambassadors then initiate a written procedure aimed at clearing the way for the signing and provisional application of the agreement.
The approval process has also been initiated on the British side. To this end, Parliament is to be called back to an extraordinary session from the winter holidays on December 30th. The opposition Labor Party has already announced that it will vote for the agreement. This would mean that some deviants in the conservative government camp would not prevent approval.
British supermarket: four fifths of British food imports come from the EU (archive image)
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Representatives from many economic sectors welcomed the agreement. The German-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) in London spoke of a “sigh of relief”. The general manager of the Federation of German Industries, Joachim Lang, emphasized: “The agreement is better than no agreement.” Nonetheless, the pact means additional bureaucracy and unnecessary border formalities for most companies.
“Collective Sigh of Relief”
“Many companies will violate regulations because they are not yet familiar with the new flood of rules,” said York-Alexander von Massenbach from the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany. “The deal comes very late for companies.” Working through so much text in a few days was “difficult to afford,” he said.
British associations were also relieved. “Bearing in mind that four-fifths of UK food imports come from the EU, today’s announcement will elicit a collective sigh of relief from consumers across the UK,” said BRC head Helen Dickinson.
Land Rover factory in Solihull, England: Experts anticipate falling production figures (archive image)
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According to economists, the British economy in particular would have been hard hit by a so-called no-deal Brexit. But even with an agreement, some industries are threatened with a clear minus. “The Brexit deal can slow the crash, but after a brief recovery after Corona, England will have to reckon with a further gradual decline in its auto industry,” said auto expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer.
The agreement on the trade agreement was reached on Thursday just a few days before Great Britain left the EU internal market at the turn of the year. The agreement provides for trade without tariffs. At the same time, it regulates issues such as future police and judicial cooperation or the social security of citizens on both sides.
nob / jj (afp, dpa)
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