Britain and the EU have reached a historic fish deal. Hooray, now January 1 is definitely Brexit

Wait! What fish? What Brexit? Am I having deja vu?

Formally, the UK left the EU on 1 February 2020, but almost nothing changed on that day: the old rules continued to apply until the end of the transition period, that is, until the end of the year. It was assumed that during this time the parties would agree on how to live on, primarily in the trade sphere. In the end, they were able to reach an agreement just a few days before the New Year.

The most pressing issue of the previous stage of negotiations – the Northern Ireland border – was resolved separately , and this time the main disputes, according to media reports, were around fishing. As long as Great Britain remained in the EU, European sailors could freely fish in its territorial waters. After leaving, the British authorities wanted to introduce a fishing quota that would be 80% lower than the actual volume currently being caught. The Europeans agreed to reduce production by only 18%. As a result, the parties came to an agreement : for another five and a half years (another transition period!), European fishermen will be able to fish in British waters, provided that their share of the total catch decreases by 25% during this time; after that, the conditions must be reviewed annually.

Goods traded between the UK and the EU will not be subject to tariffs (but services will be). In return, the British government agreed to adhere to European regulations in many areas, although Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to scrap those that are bad for the British economy.

Free movement of people between the UK and the EU will end: Britons will no longer be able to live and work in European countries on the same basis as their citizens – and vice versa. This was one of the main slogans of Brexit supporters, who argued that the UK was suffering from an influx of non-European immigrants arriving via the EU.

Now the agreement must be approved by the European Parliament, as well as the parliaments of European countries and the UK. There is very little time before the New Year (and today and tomorrow these countries celebrate Christmas). But it seems that all parliamentarians are ready to work overtime.

Dmitry Kartsev

Announcement photo: Siegfried Modola/Getty Images