“There was no great joy, as a divorce is never good news,” said a European diplomat.
The reception of the permanent representative ambassadors in the EU was quite sober, after having received a provisional version of the agreement in English, 1,200 pages long, which they will examine in detail to verify that there is no hidden aspect that could be problematic, added the diplomatic source. .
The ambassadors to the EU will meet on Monday to begin the process of signing the agreement, which must enter into force on January 1 and will be ratified by the European Parliament in early 2021. The signing of a historic commitment, after long and Arduous negotiations avoided the worst: a brutal rupture that would have entailed tariffs and quotas, and the closure of British waters to European fleets as of December 31. However, the exit from the single market and the end of free movement will be a colossal turn for the British, after 4 and a half years since the Brexit referendum and almost half a century of European integration.
In a video message, Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented the agreement as a gift for those looking for something to read over the soporific after-dinner of Christmas lunch. “Here it is: satisfactory news, this is an agreement, an agreement to provide security to companies, travelers and all investors in our country as of January 1,” the leader congratulated himself.
The agreement sealed with Brussels represents a victory for Johnson, who had this year to prepare for the country’s exit from the bloc. The pandemic, however, upset all his plans. The United Kingdom is one of the countries hardest hit by Covid-19, with nearly 70,000 deaths. With the discovery of a new, more contagious strain, the country was suddenly isolated and thousands of trucks were blocked at the border with the mainland, prompting fears of a lack of supply.
The images of the trucks stranded around the port of Dover gave an impression of what could happen in case of failure in the commercial negotiations with Brussels.
On the other hand, the United States announced yesterday that it was ready to work to strengthen transatlantic relations with both London and the European Union, as a result of the free trade agreement that profoundly changes relations between the United Kingdom and the EU.
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