Brussels:
The 27 European Union member states gave the green light on Monday for the post-Brexit trade deal to go into impact on January 1, a spokesman stated.
Ambassadors from EU capitals met in Brussels to nod by means of the accord, employing a process which will take impact at 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Tuesday.
This will provisionally let tariff-totally free trade with Britain to continue right after it leaves the EU single market place at the New Year.
Sebastian Fischer, spokesman for the German presidency of the EU, stated: “EU Ambassadors have unanimously approved the provisional application of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.”
The member states’ adoption of the strategy enables it to come into impact in time to head off disruption of cross-Channel trade.
But the deal ought to nevertheless be ratified retrospectively by the European Parliament, almost certainly in late February.
()