Britain officially exits the European Union at midnight Central European Time today, after three and a half years of negotiations with the bloc. The U.K. withdrawal agreement was quietly finalized in Brussels on Thursday. In London, few changes will be immediately apparent, though Brexit supporters, including Nigel Farage, have planned a celebration in Parliament Square. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who campaigned last month on a promise to “Get Brexit Done,” will not attend, FP reported.
During the transition period—until Britain leaves the EU customs union at the end of the year—the change will be felt in Brussels. There are still more negotiations ahead, as officials hash out the future of EU-U.K. relations. And the EU Parliament will no longer have U.K. voting members, with 73 British lawmakers returning home. France and Germany could struggle to lead the bloc without Britain, the EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said Thursday: “I think we will see a new dynamic in the union, but it will take some time before we fully recover.”
Source: More at Foreign Policy
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