Britain and the European Union Thursday struck a free-trade deal 4 1/2 years since Britons voted 52% to 48% to leave the block.
According to the deal, from January 1, the UK and EU will have a free trade agreement based on zero tariffs and zero quotas.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, “The deal is done.” “We have taken back control of our laws and our destiny,” declared British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The deal is done. pic.twitter.com/zzhvxOSeWz
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 24, 2020
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said: “It was worth fighting for this deal because we now have a fair and balanced agreement with the UK, which will protect our European interests, ensure fair competition, and provide much-needed predictability for our fishing communities. Finally, we can leave Brexit behind us and look to the future. Europe is now moving on.”
However, the European Parliament will have to give its consent to the Agreement which is anchored on three pillars: A Free Trade Agreement, a new framework for law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal and civil law matters and A horizontal agreement on Governance.
