Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
U.K. warns of ‘bumpy’ transition
Brexit rules will take effect Thursday night amid confusion
LONDON — Four days after sealing a free-trade agreement with the European Union, the British government warned businesses Monday to get ready for disruptions and “bumpy moments” when the new rules take effect Thursday night.
Firms are scrambling to digest the details and implications of the 1,240-page deal sealed by the EU and the U.K. on Christmas Eve, just a week before the year-end deadline.
Ambassadors from the 27 EU nations, meanwhile, gave their unanimous approval to the deal Monday.
“Green light,” said German spokesman Sebastian Fischer, whose country currently holds the EU presidency.
The approval had been expected, since all EU leaders have welcomed the deal, which is designed to put post-Brexit relations between the bloc and former member Britain on reliable footing.
The agreement has not, however, eliminated the mistrust that festered between Britain and its neighbors during months of fractious negotiations. The French presidency said in a statement that France would remain “from the very first day very vigilant” about implementation of the deal, especially to protect French companies and fisheries “in case the U.K. disregards its commitments.”
“I’m sure there will be bumpy moments but we are there in order to try to do everything we can to smooth the path,” Michael Gove, the British Cabinet minister in charge of Brexit preparations, told the BBC.
The agreement still needs approval from Britain’s Parliament, which is scheduled to vote on it Wednesday, and from the EU’s legislature, which is not expected to take it up for weeks.
Despite the deal, uncertainty hangs over huge chunks of the relationship between Britain and the EU. The agreement covers trade in goods, but leaves the U.K.’s huge financial services sector in limbo, still uncertain how easily it can do business with the bloc as the new year starts Friday.