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European Parliament Overwhelmingly Approves Brexit Divorce Deal
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| Contributor | Bojicat |
| Last Edited | Bojicat Jan 29, 2020 03:45pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Laurence Norman - Wall Street Journal |
| News Date | Wednesday, January 29, 2020 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | BRUSSELS—Lawmakers in the European Parliament on Wednesday supported an agreement for the U.K. to leave the European Union, paving the way for the country’s departure from the bloc on Friday and fulfilling the outcome of its June 2016 referendum on EU membership.
The Brexit formalities will be complete once the European Council, the body representing the 27 remaining EU member states, informs the U.K. it has ratified the agreement, expected on Thursday afternoon in Brussels. EU leaders agreed the deal with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson last October.
EU lawmakers approved the agreement by 621 votes to 49, with most mainstream parties voting in favor. Thirteen lawmakers abstained. After the vote, hundreds of EU lawmakers stood holding hands in the chamber, singing “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish folk tune that celebrates past friendships.
The vote was one of the final acts of Britain’s 73 EU lawmakers who step down when Britain’s 47-year membership of the bloc ends Friday midnight.
Many EU lawmakers expressed regret that Britain was leaving the bloc, with some, like former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, predicting the U.K. would rejoin one day. Several pro-European British lawmakers were in tears as they spoke.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked the many British officials and lawmakers who had worked in the EU during Britain’s near half-century of membership.
“We will miss you, but we will always keep up our friendship with you,” she said. “We want to forge a close partnership.” |
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