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Full Brexit in Jan. 2021 as EU sets transition deadline

21 Dec 2017 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}      

 

 

REUTERS, 20th DECEMBER, 2017-The European Union wants a transition period after Brexit to end no later than the last day of 2020, according to the European Commission’s negotiating directives agreed on Wednesday.


That date, coinciding with the end of the EU’s seven-year budget period and 21 months after Britain departs the EU, had long been expected as the target end point of the transition.


But this was the first official confirmation that it is the goal of the Union’s negotiators.


British Prime Minister Theresa May had sought a transition lasting around two years. EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, speaking at a news conference after the EU executive had agreed the terms, said the 2020 deadline was logical and would avoid complications in the next 2021-2027 EU budget period.