London, Dec. 20 (PTI): The European Union (EU) today set December 31, 2020 as the deadline for the Brexit transition period to end, after which the UK will be considered completely out of the 28-member economic bloc.
The cut-off date for what Britain terms as the “implementation phase” of Brexit has been laid out as part of the EU’s guidelines for the next round of negotiations on Britain s future relationship with the EU as a non-member, released by EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels today.
The guidelines state that the UK should continue to follow EU trade law and stay in the European customs union and single market during the transition phase.
The EU’s 28 commissioners, including President Jean- Claude Juncker, met today to approve guidelines for the bloc’s negotiating position on the transition drawn up by Barnier.
Thrashing out the precise terms of the transition phase will form part of the next round of negotiations between both sides, after the first so-called “divorce” phase of talks was concluded earlier this month.
The UK had already said that the temporary arrangements should not last for more than two years after it has formally left the EU in March 2019, which marks the two-year timeline triggered after Britain invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in March this year following a referendum in favour of Brexit in June 2016.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Theresa is set to face her next parliamentary hurdle over Brexit as the flagship EU (Withdrawal) Bill comes up in the House of Commons once again. May wants to specify that the UK will leave the EU at 23:00 GMT on March 29, 2019 in the Bill, a move which has been widely criticised by Opposition parties and some Conservative party MPs.
A compromise amendment, which allows some flexibility around that date being set in stone, is expected to help the British PM see off a second Commons rebellion by some of her own MPs.
Her announcement that the date should be enshrined in law was attacked by Labour as a “gimmick” and some Tory MPs warned it could tie the government’s hands if negotiations dragged on longer than planned.
The new amendment seeks to allow the government to change the “exit day” through further legislation, if the negotiations remain inconclusive by March 29, 2019.
The crucial bill is undergoing hundreds of attempts to change its wording by British MPs from across different political parties, with one change to give Parliament a guaranteed vote on the final Brexit deal been passed by the House of Commons so far.
The EU Withdrawal Bill is a key part of the government’s Brexit strategy as it aims to end the supremacy of EU law and ensure UK law is supreme on Brexit day.
