The British Parliament approved the post-Brexit pact …

From London. In the UK, the disastrous 2020 ends with the appearance of a new strain of the Covid virus (bad), the long-awaited approval of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine (good), and the regrettable exit from the European Union with a last minute deal. At the end of this edition the House of Lords prepares to complete the legislative process with the approval of the bill which incorporates the agreement which will govern relations with the United Kingdom, after his final departure from the European Union at the end of the year. In the afternoon, with 521 votes for and 73 against, the House of Commons had voted overwhelmingly in favor of the post-Brexit agreement with the European Union, initialed a few hours later by Boris Johnson at his official residence and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission in Brussels.

After a saga that began four years ago with the unfortunate idea of ​​calling the British people to a plebiscite on permanence or exit from the European Union, it seems incredible that the seemingly impossible ‘exit deal’ ends by being hastily resolved with less than 12 hours of parliamentary debate. It took more than four years, three prime ministers and endless and frustrating negotiations with Brussels: and the deal is finally approved in a jiffy.

Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister and architect of this rapid exit through the forum, opened the debate on the agreement this Wednesday 30 at 10 am. Addressing the deputies, said the deal would redefine relations with the European Union: “We seized this opportunity to create fantastic new relations with our European neighbors, based on free trade and friendly cooperation.” He added that this was achieved in less than a year in the “unfavorable climate of a pandemic, focusing on the task, avoiding delays, precisely because by creating certainty about the future, we we will have a better chance of recovering more vigorously next year “.

During the debate, Labor leader Keir Starmer criticized the deal, but stressed that if they voted against the government’s proposal, they were voting for an exit from the European Union governed by EU rules. World organization of commerce. “The alternatives are simple today. Do we want to approve or not the agreement that has been concluded with the European Union? If we say no, the result is clear: we are ending this transitional period without a deal. Without agreement on safety, trade, fishing. Without protection for our industry, our commerce, our agriculture and many other businesses. Moreover, without a footing to build a future relationship with the European Union ”, he declared.

However, 36 Labor MPs abstained. Labor Helen Hayes forcefully explained her vote. “It’s a bad deal that will impoverish our country. It will cost us jobs, it will violate our security, it will weaken our position in the world, it will jeopardize the rights of workers and the protection of the environment, and finally, it will limit the opportunities of our children and our grandchildren. children. “

Although the deal was backed by a majority of Labor, the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish Nationalist Party and the Unionist of Northern Ireland opposed it. On one issue, many agreed, be it Tories, Labor or the Scottish Nationalist Party: the limited time allowed to review the agreement. The deal approval bill is 80 pages long, and the details of the trade and security agreement are 1,200 pages that must have been read full steam ahead. The details and fine print of the deal will certainly be debated for a long time. But there is no doubt that the relationship has changed forever.

The turning point is December 31 at midnight when the UK leaves the European common market and customs union which formed the backbone of the relationship with the European bloc. Although the agreement stipulates that there will be no tariff barriers or quotas for bilateral trade in goods, sanitary, phytosanitary and regulatory controls will be introduced which will require endless bureaucratic procedures and compliance with strict requirements. for export and trade costs.

The service sector will lose direct access, something particularly difficult for the UK financial sector. Leaving the block does not erase the possibility of conflict: it increases it. This is clearly seen in fisheries and the only land border between the Republic of Ireland (European Union) and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), which will follow special regimes and require delicate diplomacy.