[joglynne]

25th December 2020.

EU nations start assessing post-Brexit trade deal with UK as ambassadors get briefed

European Union ambassadors were convening on Christmas Day to start assessing the massive free-trade deal the bloc struck with Britain on Thursday after nine months of negotiations.

“EU member states will now start reviewing the 1,246 pages of the EU-UK agreement and continue with this daunting exercise during the next few days,” tweeted EU German Presidency spokesman Sebastian Fischer as the meeting started.

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France's leader, Emmanuel Macron, argued that "European unity and firmness have paid off."

"The agreement with the UK is essential to protect our citizens, our fishermen, our producers. We will make sure it does. Europe is moving forward and can look to the future, united, sovereign and strong," he wrote on Twitter.

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The least bad version of Brexit possible'
Preserving peace in Ireland and ensuring that no physical border between the British province in the north and the EU member state in the south is erected has been one of the thorniest issues for negotiators.

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin said in a statement that "the agreement reached today is the least bad version of Brexit possible, given current circumstances."

"I know that not everyone is happy with the Protocol, but I believe it is a good outcome for the people of Northern Ireland," he went on, because it enables smooth trade between the island's two entities and "avoids a return of a hard border"

https://www.euronews.com/2020/12/24/...the-eu-uk-deal