EU Parliament committee backs Brexit trade deal

European Union Parliament committees have overwhelmingly backed the new trade deal between the 27-nation bloc and former member Britain, pushing it onward to the full legislature for a final vote expected later this month.

European Union Parliament committees overwhelmingly backed the new trade deal between the 27-nation bloc and former member Britain Thursday, pushing it onward to the full legislature for a final vote expected later this month.

The EU and the United Kingdom clinched the deal on Christmas Eve last year but it still needed the consent of the EU parliament, leaving bilateral trade to proceed on a provisional basis until the deal is finalized.

The committees approved the deal by 108-1, with 4 abstentions. Since the provisional application of the deal on Jan. 1, both sides have been bickering over the Brexit divorce that went into effect at the end of January last year, and specifically the customs arrangements between Britain and Northern Ireland.

In an attempt to ease those tensions, the vice president of the EU executive arm and the United Kingdom’s Brexit minister will hold talks on Northern Ireland trade rules.

Source: TheIndependent