The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, formalized, this Friday, the United Kingdom Exit Agreement from the European Union (EU), lacking only the final “green light” the European Parliament.
“Charles Michel and I have just signed the Agreement on the Exit of the United Kingdom from the EU, paving the way for its ratification by the European Parliament,” said the leader of the community executive through a publication on the social network Twitter.
The publication is accompanied by a photograph showing Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, and the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, who will conduct negotiations on future trade relations after this ‘divorce’ between London and Brussels.
This formal step taken today comes a day after the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee approved a recommendation that mirrors the European Assembly’s favorable position on the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement from the EU, with only the final ‘green light’ in plenary .
The ‘green light’ of MEPs is now missing in plenary, which is due to take place next Wednesday, during the mini-session in Brussels.
To enter into force, the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement from the EU has to be approved by a majority of the votes cast.
While the Constitutional Affairs Committee was meeting and approving the document, Queen Elizabeth II enacted the contested and postponed bill that formalizes the UK’s exit from the EU, making Brexit possible within a week on 31 January.
The Queen’s consent came hours after the project completed its passage through the British Parliament, obtaining approval from the House of Lords (upper house).
Three and a half years after ‘Brexit’ was decided in a referendum by 52% of voters in June 2016, the process provoked a political crisis due to the impasse in parliament, which rejected the deal negotiated by the former prime minister three times. Theresa May and forced the postponement of the exit.
Theresa May eventually resigned and was replaced by Boris Johnson, who only managed to overcome the impasse after the legislative elections of December 12, 2019, which she won with an absolute majority.
The UK’s departure from the EU will be officially registered at 23:00 local time (same time in Lisbon) on 31 January, after which a transition period will start, until 31 December 2020.
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