EU Parliament: the floor will be discussing and voting on the agreement with the United Kingdom. Brexit defined as a “historical mistake”

The plenary session of the European Parliament will start today (at 5.00 pm) to continue until Thursday 29th April in a combined mode, i.e. in presence (in Brussels) and remotely. A key point on the agenda is the agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom about the after Brexit. The discussion and round of voting will take place tomorrow, and the results will be available on Wednesday morning. The MEPs will vote to give the go-ahead to the agreement that lays down the rules for future relations between the 27 member states and London. “The MEPs – the EU parliament points out – will also be discussing and voting on a resolution for assessing the agreement, in which they are supposed to insist that it be fully enforced along with the withdrawal agreement and emphasise the role that Parliament will play in monitoring the actual implementation of the terms of the agreement”. It should be pointed out that, on 24th December 2020, the EU and UK negotiators signed a trade and cooperation agreement that lays down the terms and conditions for future bilateral cooperation on free trade, without quotas and tariffs in such industries as fishing, energy and internal security, and fair competition rules. The agreement has been temporarily enforced since 1st January 2021 and will expire on 30th April 2021. Parliament’s approval is essential for the agreement to permanently come into force. In the draft resolution that goes with the vote, Brexit is defined as a “historical mistake”. In addition, the trade and cooperation agreement is welcomed, but the unilateral measures recently taken by the United Kingdom in breach of the withdrawal agreement are censured, instead.
Valentina Bombelli