'strict' 5G rules

ratification by the European Parliament," Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted. In a separate tweet, Michel said: "Things will inevitably change but our friendship will remain. We start a new chapter as partners and allies."

And he added, in French: "I'm keen to write this new page together." Official photographs of the official signing ceremony, conducted before dawn in the European Council's headquarters in Brussels, showed chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier looking on.

British voters backed leaving the European Union in a June 2016 referendum, and after lengthy negotiations and several delays Prime Minister Boris Johnson's new government plans to "get Brexit done" next week. Queen Elizabeth II gave her formal assent to the British withdrawal legislation on Thursday and the European Union is now expected to complete the final formalities in the coming days.

Briatin will the leave the institutions of the union, reducing it to 27 member member states, but the withdrawal agreement provides for an 11-month transition period until the end of the year.

During this time, Britain and the rest of the bloc will continue to apply the same rules of business to avoid economic disruption while officials try to negotiate a broader trade deal. Tokyo stocks opened higher on Monday, with investor sentiment buoyed by fresh record-setting advances on Wall Street and likely to continue throughout the week, according to analysts.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.19 percent or 46.64 points to 24,087.90 in early trade while the broader Topix index was up 0.35 percent or 6.05 points at 1,741.49.

"Japanese stocks are expected to stay firm this week thanks to a positive environment," Okasan Online Securities said in a commentary, adding that bullish US stocks were driving Tokyo's strength.

Wall Street stocks again finished at records on Friday on the back of a USChina trade deal signed last week, robust US economic data and mostly solid corporate earnings.