Brexit trade pact published
Shortly before the end of the transition period, Britain and the EU have published their trade pact for the time after.
London/Brussels (dpa) - Less than a week before the end of the Brexit transition period, the UK and the EU have published their painstakingly negotiated trade pact for the time after. Both sides put the roughly 1250-page document online on their websites on Saturday. Among other things, the treaty is supposed to regulate questions on trade, police and judicial cooperation and health insurance cover for travellers in emergencies.
London and Brussels had announced a breakthrough in talks on a joint trade pact on Thursday. At the turn of the year, the United Kingdom finally leaves the structures of the European Union after almost 40 years of membership. The worst consequences of the divorce have thus been averted.
On the European side, however, there is not enough time left until 31 December to ratify the last-minute deal in time. Therefore, the treaty can only be applied provisionally for the time being. However, this still requires the approval of the 27 EU states. The EU ambassadors are to vote on it in the coming days, a meeting is scheduled for Monday. The EU Parliament will then have to review the agreement in January. In London, on the other hand, the parliament is expected to vote through a law on 30 December in a fast-track procedure in order to make the agreement effective. Since the opposition Labour Party has announced that it will vote in favour of the deal, the vote in London is considered a formality.
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