Top EU officials formally signed a long-fought post-Brexit trade deal with UK

Top EU officials formally signed a long-fought post-Brexit trade deal with the United Kingdom on Wednesday.

It was signed by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in a brief ceremony in Brussels, Belgium.

The documents will now be flown from the entire channel to London in a Royal Air Force aircraft for the signature of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"The agreement we have reached today is the result of intensive negotiations of months in which the European Union has demonstrated an unprecedented level of unity," Mitchell said.

"It is a fair and balanced agreement that fully protects the basic interests of the European Union and creates stability and predictability for citizens and companies".

The UK parliament will begin a debate on the agreement on Wednesday, before a vote at 14:30 GMT, establishing new trade rules between the bloc of 27 countries and a former UK member.

The House of Lords, which holds unaffiliated MPs, will start. Their debate later.

The debate in the House of Lords is expected to last several hours, meaning that the bill cannot be changed to the bond of British law until late in the evening on Wednesday.

Under British law, the bill cannot be converted into law unless voted by both houses.

Because Johnson's ruling Conservative Party enjoys a parliamentary majority, UK MPs are expected to approve the deal, which is scheduled to be temporarily lodged on 1 January.

Leaders of the European Parliament's political groups said they would not seek full approval until March due to the specific and far-reaching implications of the agreement. There is a high expectation that EU lawmakers will approve the deal.

The 1,240-page post-Brexit deal was sealed by the European Union and the UK on Christmas Eve, a week before the year-end deadline.

"On key issues, the European Union is ready to work side by side with the United Kingdom," Mitchell said.

"This will be the case with a possible treaty on climate change, beyond COP 26 in Glasgow, and on the global response to the pandemic, especially on pandemics. On foreign affairs, we will seek cooperation on specific issues based on shared values ​​and interests. "