(Newswire.net — January 31, 2020) — The European Parliament confirmed the Brexit Agreement – the UK’s exit from the European Union, which made the UK the first EU member to leave this union of European countries.
MEPs ratified the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement by a great majority of votes, the BBC reported.
621 MPs voted in favor of the agreement, 49 were against, while 13 abstained. The UK is due to leave the Union on Friday at 11pm UK time, when the agreement enters into force, and in the meantime, the EU Council endorsement procedure is pending.
Ratification of the withdrawal agreement, agreed by the UK and the European Union in October, has not been called into question, according to the BBC.
At the initiative of German MEP Theresa Reintke, all MPs stood up and sang the Scottish song “Auld Lang Syne”, which traditionally accompanies the old year and welcomes the new one. Also, the song is sung at graduation celebrations, but is also sung at funerals, which sent an ambivalent message. While singing, most of MPs were holding hands.
“It is sad to see a country leaving that has twice given its blood to liberate Europe,” said the Parliament’s spokesman Guy Verhofstadt.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said ratification of the withdrawal deal was “only a first step” towards a new partnership between the EU and the UK, BBC reports.
Brexit is here, so now the first priority will be to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU. Obviously, the UK would want to hold on to all possible benefits it had within the EU members trade deal, however that might not be possible as the UK must leave the customs union and single market deals.
The trade negotiations will begin shortly but if no trade deal has been agreed and ratified by the end of the year, then the UK faces trade tariffs that could seriously damage its economy.
Nigel Farage, the veteran MEP of more than 20 years offended EU Parliamentarians by “waving goodbye” with UK flags, breaking the rule that forbids national flags in the parliament chamber.