A series of concessions have been accommodated by both Britain and the EU, with a legal certainty for UK business.
by our London Correspondent
( March 21, 2018, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Britain and the European Union have publicised a Withdrawal Agreement on 19 March 2018.with more than an understanding, a deal of which 75% is agreed, that the UK will retain the benefits of the Single Market and the Customs Union for 21 months until December 2021, while losing its role in any decision making.
Britain will be allowed to sign new trade deals from 29 March 2019 to December 2020 and the UK could choose to be part of the EU Foreign policy and Defence initiatives.
It appears nothing will change at least through the Implementation period. What is certain is that the UK has paid a price; some say a high price to get to this point.
A series of concessions have been accommodated by both Britain and the EU, with a legal certainty for UK business.
If you can call this progress, the EU has avoided sticking by its original position not to budge unless everything was resolved before agreeing to a trade deal.
Britain has given way on the Fish issue. It has abandoned any immediate attempt to take back control of its fishing waters throughout the transition period. However, the UK’s share of the total catch cannot be changed.
Britain will accept the 21 month transition period on offer, rather than the 2 year period requested by Britain.
Britain will have to commit to a £40 billion divorce settlement bill, but has stretched it out until 2064.
Britain will abide by the rules on freedom of movement of citizens of the EU during the transition. In a climbdown, this concession is not entirely reciprocated to the 1.2 million British citizens living in the EU, but the draft has dropped an explicit ban on British citizens living in another EU country moving to live and work in a third EU country. All climbdowns are now irreversible according to the agreed text.
Doubts still remain over the Irish Border. A provisional agreement is to a “back up” plan, to keep Northern Ireland under EU law to avoid a hard border.
“To take back control, you had to give back control” said David Davis, U.K.Brexit Negotiator. Jacob Rees-Mogg, M.P. who chairs the European Research Group of Tory backbenchers is planning to lead a protest by Brexit support MP’s on 21 March 2018, but hailed it “if the end sate is a clear Brexit.”
Critics raised fears that a lack of a solution to the Irish border issue could still cause problems for the whole deal, which has to be ratified by the Parliaments of EU and UK. The Pound rose as the two sides reached a compromise.
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