BRUSSELS, 30 December 2020, (TON):  The European Union’s top officials on Wednesday formally signed post-Brexit trade deal with the United Kingdom.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel signed the documents in a brief signature ceremony in Brussels. The documents will now be forwarded to British Prime minister Boris Johnson to sign them.

“The agreement that we signed today is the result of months of intense negotiations in which the European Union has displayed an unprecedented level of unity,” Michel said. “It is a fair and balanced agreement that fully protects the fundamental interests of the European Union and creates stability and predictability for citizens and companies”.

“On major issues, the European Union stands ready to work shoulder to shoulder with the United Kingdom,” Michel said. “This will be the case on climate change, ahead of the COP 26 in Glasgow, and on the global response to pandemics, in particular with a possible treaty on pandemics. On foreign affairs, we will seek cooperation on specific issues based on shared values and interests.”

The UK Parliament will later start debating the agreement setting up new trade rules between the 27-nation bloc and former member Britain. It is set to provisionally enter into force on 1 January The agreement eventually needs approval from Britain’s Parliament, and from the EU’s legislature.