EU chief urges parliament to approve Brexit trade bill on vote day

As EU lawmakers on Tuesday prepare to vote on the post-Brexit trade deal struck late in 2020 with Britain, European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has called on the legislature to back the deal.

“This agreement is essential to help us move forward,” the EU executive chief told the European Parliament, which is expected to approve the deal on future relations despite concerns about the implementation of some EU-British agreements.

This is the final step of the approval process.

The pact protects European citizens’ rights and the EU single market, and ensures high protection of environmental, social and tax transparency standards, von der Leyen said.

The trade deal has been provisionally applied since the beginning of 2021 to allow time to ratify the deal.

This grace period runs out on April 30, as per an agreement between the two sides.

EU lawmakers had previously threatened to further delay ratification because of an ongoing dispute with London about the special trade rules agreed for Northern Ireland in the withdrawal agreement in 2019.

The European Union accuses the British government of breaching the deal.

von der Leyen said she was aware that some EU parliamentarians were reluctant to ratify the trade deal while some commitments are not being respected.

“I agree with you. This agreement on paper is only as good as implementation and enforcement in practice,” she said.

The deal also sets out remedial measures, von der Leyen said, which the EU does not want to use but will do if it has to.