Last act in the divorce drama

The EU Parliament is debating the post-Brexit agreement today. There is great anger over London, but approval is expected. At the beginning there was a standing ovation for a Frenchman.

From Stephan Ueberbach, ARD studio Brussels It doesn’t happen very often: the European Parliament thanked Michel Barnier, who led the Brexit negotiations on behalf of the EU, with a standing ovation. With today’s decision, a tough and often nerve-wracking struggle comes to an end after more than four years. The divorce between Great Britain and the European Union is thus perfect. Yet Europeans and British have much more in common than what separates them, said Barnier at the meeting.

Trouble over British breach of contract

The majority of parliamentarians also still consider Brexit to be a serious mistake. And the anger over Boris Johnson’s administration runs deep. It has unilaterally suspended the agreed goods controls between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From the EU perspective, this is a clear breach of the withdrawal agreement that Johnson negotiated and signed personally. “British diplomacy used to be a symbol of credibility for me,” emphasized Manfred Weber, leader of the European Christian Democrats. “But when we see how Boris Johnson behaves in Northern Ireland, the message is: ‘What do I care about my signature!’ This is the new Great Britain that we have by our side as a partner. ”

“This contract has real teeth”

The trade and partnership agreement expressly provides for sanctions in the event of violations. For example, in the dispute over goods controls, the EU could impose punitive tariffs on certain products from Great Britain. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to do that too, if necessary. “This treaty has real teeth,” she said, thereby also soliciting parliamentary approval. “This agreement protects European citizens and their rights, it protects European interests and the internal market and it maintains the high standards of labor rights, environmental protection, tax transparency and state aid,” said von der Leyen.

MPs are campaigning for approval

The vast majority of MPs see it that way too. The Austrian social democrat Andreas Schieder said:

This post-Brexit agreement is a strong foundation to mitigate the negative effects of Brexit for employees, for the environment and also for the economy. And it’s not the end, it’s a beginning too.

Consent or “no deal”

Despite all the criticism of the British government – in the late evening vote, the parliamentarians will grudgingly clear the way for the agreement as things stand – because the alternative would be a “no deal”, an unregulated chaos Brexit when the agreed transition period ends of the month expires. This is one of the reasons why the Luxembourgish Christian Democrat Christoph Hansen calls on his colleagues to agree to the trade and partnership agreement. It is the “only sensible decision” for citizens and businesses.