EU nations unanimously support post-Brexit trade and security agreement

After months of tiresome negotiations, the post-Brexit deal has now been unanimously backed by European Union member states. According to The Guardian, the 27 member states on December 28 gave their approval for the 1,246-page treaty to be "provisionally applied" on January 1. The decision will formally be completed by written procedure at 3 pm (European time) on Tuesday. 

A spokesman for Germany, which holds the EU Presidency, said the decision came during a meeting in Brussels to assess the Christmas Eve agreement. He added that the treaty had been given the "green light". Now, the deal, hammered out after nine months of negotiations, is set to be approved by the EU’s legislature, which is expected to come in February. The British House of Commons, on the other hand, is expected to approve it on Wednesday. 

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The United Kingdom left the European Union almost a year ago but remained within the bloc’s economic embrace during a transition period that ends on December 31. The agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas. After a phone call with British PM Boris Johnson, the European Council President Charles Michel said that he hoped the trade and security deal would be a platform for further cooperation.

On Monday, the UK PM also said that the deal would be a "new starting point" for the relationship between the EU and Britain. He added, "We looked forward to the formal ratification of the agreement and to working together on shared priorities, such as tackling climate change." 

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The UK-EU Brexit deal 

The deal between the UK and the EU will allow free movement of goods produced by Britain and the union. This is also the "first time" that the 27-nation-bloc has agreed to a ‘zero tariffs zero quota deal’ with any other trading partner. The Brexit deal also includes the provisions to support the trade in services providing the UK with service suppliers with legal guarantees that will not face any disruptions to trade while selling into the union along with supporting British professionals who will continue to work across Europe.

The agreement between the UK and the EU was being blocked on three key issues, including fishing rights, governance, and level-playing fields. Fishing rights remained a thorn till the end as Britain was not willing to allow the European fishing fleet in its waters. As per reports, UK and EU have compromised on the fisheries issue with the bloc agreeing to drop its share of the catch in the English waters by 25 percent over a period of five and a half years. The British parliament is expected to vote on the deal on December 30, while the EU will reportedly approve it for the time being and will vote on it next year because of less time for scrutiny. 

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