EU leaders sign historic post-Brexit trade deal
(VOVWORLD) - European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on behalf of the European Union signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on Wednesday in Brussels. The 1,246 page document will be flown to London where Prime Minister Boris Johnson will sign for the UK.
 European Council President Charles Michel (R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sign the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on December 30, in Brussels. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
The deal was agreed in Brussels on Christmas Eve, following nine months of negotiations.
“The agreement that we signed today is the result of months of intense negotiations in which the European Union has displayed an unprecedented level of unity,” Michel said. “It is a fair and balanced agreement that fully protects the fundamental interests of the European Union and creates stability and predictability for citizens and companies.”
At midnight of Thursday, Brussels time, the UK will completely leave the EU, after one year of transition period and more than four years since British voters voted to leave the EU in a referendum that divided the country and was followed by difficult negotiations.