At midnight on January 31, the Brexit Agreement between the UK and the European Union will come into force.
Brexit provides for an orderly withdrawal of Britain from the EU and covers the rights of citizens, financial issues, the transition period, protocols on Ireland and Northern Ireland, Cyprus, and Gibraltar.
The agreement comes into force and marks the start of a transition period until December 31, 2020. This transition period allows for more time for citizens and businesses to adapt.
During this period, the EU and the UK should discuss terms of the future partnership. The Commission will adopt comprehensive preliminary negotiating directives before February 3, after which the EU Council for Common Affairs should adopt a mandate for the negotiations. After that, the parties can formally begin the negotiating process.
The transition period can only be extended once for a period of up to one or two years if both sides agree by July 1, 2020.
As Apostrophe reported, after Great Britain signed the Brexit agreement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced temporary visa-free travel for UK citizens.