The United Kingdom has left the European Union’s economic and political orbit in an historic departure that has split Britons politically and marked the country’s greatest shift on the global stage in modern times.
As the clock struck 11pm in London on Thursday (23:00 GMT), December 31, the Brexit transition period came to an end and the UK exited the bloc’s single market and customs union.
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A new era in the UK-EU relationship has started on New Year’s Eve with an 11-month-long transition period that followed Brexit coming to an end.
ReplyDeleteWith the transition period ending, freedom of movement between the UK and the EU member states also ended as the clock stroke midnight in Brussels.
British citizens will be able to visit most EU states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but they will have to prove they have enough money for their stay. They will also need to show their return or onward ticket at the entry.
DeleteEU citizens will also have the same right when they want to visit to the UK.
British citizens will carry on their visits to Ireland as before.
British citizens planning to move to EU countries after Jan. 1 will apply for residency in line with member states’ immigration rules as the automatic right to live and work in the EU ended.
DeleteGibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, will be treated as a Schengen area according to an agreement reached by Spain and the UK.
Supporters claim the move will set the country free to pursue new opportunities as an independent global power.
ReplyDeleteBut critics say it reverses decades of integration with its closest neighbours and threatens to break up the UK, harm the country’s economy and diminish its international standing.
As the UK and EU signed a post-Brexit trade deal over the Christmas period, trade is expected to continue uninterrupted.
DeleteNorthern Ireland will remain aligned with the EU for the next four years according to the EU Withdrawal Agreement the parties signed, so trade between the EU and Northern Ireland will remain as before.
The end of the transition period marks the conclusion of Brexit.
British voters decided in a 2016 referendum to leave the European club after more than 40 years of membership.
ReplyDeleteThe long and painstaking negotiations ended in the Withdrawal Agreement almost a year ago and the transition period kicked in on Jan. 31.