On the night of Wednesday through Thursday, a shipment of pizzas arrived at the headquarters of the European Commission where, without exaggeration, a good part of the future of the EU and the United Kingdom was at stake. It was not acceptable to underestimate what was on that table (or tables). Four and a half years after the referendum that started the British way out, the door was about to close completely. It was then or never. Only seven days until the end of the transition period, there was only one option: agreement or agreement.
“From the beginning it was known that neither party wanted to be remembered for a non-agreement”, comments a source consulted by 20minutos, which at the same time acknowledges that it was the United Kingdom that “pulled the string almost to the end”. He makes a reflection in this sense: “I think they were not aware of what they would lose if a pact was not reached“Of course, the feelings were very different in one capital and another once the pact was closed.
The biggest problem was always fishing. In the end, even on that there was consensus after, obviously, assignments. In conclusion: five years of margin for fishermen, a 25% cut in quotas, and annual agreements. That’s the simplest summary of one of the most relevant parts of the 1,246-page trade deal. “Sovereignty was a few kilos of herring,” reflected the spokesman for the European Parliament, Jaume Duch.
After the white smoke came the reflections, still hot. And Downing Street settled back into the story. “It’s something that We already know how it works because it is what they have done for four and a half years“They recognize in Brussels. The first image was that of a happy Boris Johnson, with his arms raised. He assumes, precisely, that the United Kingdom” regains sovereignty “. That is what it gains, but” it is losing much more “.
“The future is Europe,” said the president of the European Commission, escorted on Christmas Eve by the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. Another of the fundamental figures of negotiation It was the Spanish Clara Martínez. A civil servant for more than thirty years, this Valencian woman became Barnier’s right-hand man. The often said plumbing work was instrumental in reaching an agreement “on the horn.”
Another of the fundamental figures of the negotiation was the Spanish Clara Martínez, Barnier’s right hand
In the community capital the rictus was not one of joy. “I don’t know if there much to celebrate beyond the mere fact that an agreement has been reached“, explain the sources, who acknowledge that the feeling was” of relief “. The EU” has taken a weight off its shoulders “with the pact, but at the same time, as Barnier himself maintained, there is also a certain sadness. The Kingdom United has been the first member state to leave the bloc in its entire history.
The negotiations, in addition to being long and tedious, were full of edges and were somewhat complicated by the pandemic. “There were no blocking moments per se, but it has been fraught with difficulties”, they explain in Brussels. Meanwhile, from London they look to the future believing they are “free”, but they will have to rebuild. “The EU is going to move on.” Boris Johnson, yes, has kept his word: he promised Brexit and almost with the clock to zero he has given Brexit. And it has done so at a time when the support of British citizens for the Union is at all-time highs.
What is there left to do?
The process is not finished. The advice, unanimously by the 27 Member States, must adopt a decision authorizing the signing of the agreement and its provisional application as of January 1. When this process takes place, the Trade and Cooperation agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom may be signed.
The European Parliament will then be asked to give the green light to the agreement, which is scheduled to occur in the third week of January, when the first plenary session of 2021 is held. Its role is to give consent, without the possibility of making amendments, but it maintains its ability to veto the entire pact. You can only say “yes” or “no”. As a last step for the EU, the Council must take the final decision on the entry into force of the agreement.
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