Britain hands in Brexit documents as its EU lawmakers say 'au revoir'
![Britain hands in Brexit documents as its EU lawmakers say 'au revoir'](https://92newshd.tv/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/bREXIT.jpg)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Britain’s ambassador to the European Union handed documents formalising Brexit to a senior EU official on Wednesday, hours before European lawmakers are due to sign off on a deal that will see Britain finally quit the bloc on Friday.
Three-and-a-half years after Britons voted to leave, a smiling Tim Barrow passed over a dark blue leather file embossed with the emblem of the United Kingdom, against a backdrop of British and EU flags at the bloc’s Brussels headquarters.
The European Parliament is due to give its final consent to the EU-UK Brexit deal at 1700 GMT, after which lawmakers will throw an “Au Revoir” party for their 73 departing colleagues.
After protracted and often tortuous divorce talks, the UK will leave the club it joined in 1973 at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday, when British flags will be removed from EU offices and the EU flag lowered on the British premises there.
With a status-quo transition period running only until year-end, fresh talks — covering everything from trade to security — will begin soon on a new relationship.
Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier told envoys of the remaining 27 members that a loose association agreement like the EU has with Ukraine should serve as the basis for relations, diplomatic sources briefed on the closed-door meeting said.
He said Brussels would seek to continue applying its state aid rules to Britain to avert the risk of dumping and identified fisheries and trade as areas where consequences could be severe if no deal is clinched.
“We will not give ground on issues that are important to us,” Barnier said, according to the sources.