After long days of thorny negotiations, a Brexit agreement on the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union was found this Thursday 17th October 2019.
An agreement on Brexit was announced Thursday 17th October 2019 by Jean-Claude Juncker and the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, just before a European summit and after long days of thorny negotiations.
Read also: Brexit: UK ready for exit without agreement on 31 October, threatens Boris Johnson
“We have one! “, Launched European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on his Twitter account, while Boris Johnson boasted of” a great new deal “.
🇪🇺🤝🇬🇧 Where there is a will, there is a #deal – we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions. I recommend that #EUCO endorses this deal. pic.twitter.com/7AfKyCZ6k9
— Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) October 17, 2019
Juncker, who had called Britain’s prime minister in the morning, called the deal “fair and balanced”. He recommended to the leaders of the 27, who were beginning to arrive in Brussels for the summit, to give the green light.
Devastating consequences of a “no-deal”
In the aftermath of these announcements, the pound gained 1% against the dollar, the economic circles fearing the potentially devastating consequences of a “no deal” on October 31st.
This agreement will have to be ratified by the British and European Parliaments. In the United Kingdom, he will have to receive the support of the small party in Northern Ireland DUP, which rejected Thursday the compromise on the divorce agreement.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is due to give a press conference before the summit, before meeting with member states. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk will make a statement.
European and British negotiators have worked hard since Wednesday for their second night in a row. Optimism came back last week following a rapprochement between Dublin and London.
This is the second agreement reached between London and Brussels to implement the result of the British referendum of June 2016. The first, negotiated by Theresa May, had been rejected three times by the British Parliament.
The obstacle of the DUP
Boris Johnson, who wants a divorce at the end of the month at any cost, called on British MPs to approve the deal during an exceptional parliamentary session on Saturday.
Boris Johnson’s mission to his parliament will be tricky because he no longer has a majority, and will have to count without the support of the DUP, which is part of a parliamentary coalition with his Conservative Party.
This new deal ensures that we #TakeBackControl of our laws, borders, money and trade without disruption & establishes a new relationship with the EU based on free trade and friendly cooperation. #GetBrexitDone #TakeBackControl
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 17, 2019
This new deal ensures that we #TakeBackControl of our laws, borders, money and trade without disruption & establishes a new relationship with the EU based on free trade and friendly cooperation. #GetBrexitDone #TakeBackControl
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 17, 2019
This North Irish unionist party showered optimism by stating that it could not “support what is being proposed on customs and consent issues (from the Northern Ireland executive to the Brexit project). He also regretted “a lack of clarity on VAT”, namely the tax regime that will be applied in Northern Ireland.
The small party of 10 deputies in the House of Commons, however, says he “will continue to work with the government to reach a reasonable agreement that works for Northern Ireland and protects the economic and constitutional integrity of the Kingdom. -United “.
Sensitive issues
Talks between London and Brussels focused on a number of sensitive issues: how to avoid the return of a border between Ireland, a member of the EU, and Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, in order to preserve the peace on the island while allowing customs controls, the right of glance granted to the Northern Ireland authorities on the divorce agreement or the future relationship.
The latest developments on Brexit had created a flutter around the organization of the European summit. The proceedings of the meeting were published only on Thursday morning.
After Brexit, the heads of state and government must discuss the situation in Turkey and return in particular to the European response to the Ankara offensive against Kurdish militias in northeastern Syria. They will also address the issue of EU enlargement to North Macedonia and Albania, before embarking on the budget issue on Friday.
