Brussels 27.04.2021 Parliament to decide whether to give its consent to EU-UK agreement
MEPs will vote on giving their consent to the agreement that sets the rules for the future EU-UK relationship, on Tuesday, April 27, with the result announced on Wednesday morning, April 28.

They will also debate and vote on a resolution assessing the agreement, in which they insist on its full implementation along with the Withdrawal Agreement, and stressing Parliament’s role in scrutinising the practical application of the deals. The result of the votes will be announced at 9:00 on Wednesday.

On 24 December 2020, EU and UK negotiators agreed on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement establishing the terms for future EU-UK cooperation on free trade without quotas and tariffs, on fisheries, energy, internal security and fair competition standards. To minimise disruption, the agreement has been provisionally applied since 1 January 2021 and will lapse on 30 April 2021. Parliament’s consent is necessary for the agreement to enter into force permanently.

“This is a divorce. It is a warning, Brexit. It’s a failure of the European Union and we have to learn lessons from it… Why did 52% of the British vote against Europe?… Our duty is to listen and understand the feelings of the people,” the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told lawmakers, who gave him a standing ovation for his work.

The draft text, prepared by the political groups in the UK Coordination Group and by the Conference of Presidents, calls the UK’s departure from the EU a “historical mistake”. It welcomes the trade and cooperation agreement, but condemns recent unilateral UK actions in breach of the Withdrawal Agreement and demands that the agreed terms of the deal be fully implemented.

With Parliament’s consent, the agreement will enter into force once Council has voted on it.