Five years after a historic referendum that sanctioned the United Kingdom’s exit from the Union, the European Parliament yesterday approved by a very large majority the partnership agreement concluded at the end of 2020. Nonetheless, the European attitude is marked by evident distrust. London and Brussels are seeking a solution to a recent Irish border dispute, as many French fishermen protest that they have not yet received the long-awaited British fishing licenses.
Yesterday’s comments were marked by fashion optimism. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the treaty “the pillar of a strong and close partnership with the UK”. According to the President of the European Council Charles Michel, this is the beginning of “a new era”. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, embroiled in a political scandal at home, explained that the agreement concerns two partners “of vital importance, close allies and equally sovereign”.
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In June 2016, a small majority of Britons said they were in favor of Brexit (52% of voters). A divorce agreement was finally signed at the end of 2019. Over the next year, the parties negotiated a partnership agreement that provides for freedom of trade without quotas or tariffs. Britain officially exited the single market on January 31, 2020, while the actual exit took place on January 1 of this year.
In exporting goods to Europe, the country must now comply with European customs rules (so much so that in the first two months of the year, British exports to the Twenty-Seven fell by 47% annually). Yesterday’s vote in Parliament was unequivocal: 660 deputies voted in favor, 32 abstained, 5 voted against out of a total of 697 voters. The green light has come at the last minute: the provisional application of the text of over 1,250 pages will in fact expire tomorrow, April 30th.
“Ratification of the agreement is not a blind vote of confidence in the British government’s intentions to implement our agreements in good faith. Rather, it is an assurance of the European Union against further unilateral deviations from what has been jointly agreed. The European Parliament will remain vigilant, ”said the Luxembourg popular Christophe Hansen, rapporteur of the text. The deputies opted to give stability to the relationship between the parties, even if there is no shortage of knots to be resolved.