Britain is officially outside the European Union

the United Kingdom has finally left the European Union after four and a half years of the long and transformed Brexit series, and has opened a new page of its history amid a major crisis with the widespread of the Corona virus, especially in the capital, London.

After half a century of integration into the European Union, at 23:00 (midnight Thursday Friday in Brussels), corresponding to December 31, 2020, Britain officially left the European Union.

Britain became a member of the European Union beginning in 1973, and despite its exit from the Union on January 31, 2020, I continued to submit to the Brussels rules throughout 2020, due to the incomplete transition process.

Within months Britain and the European Union held intense negotiations over post-Brexit relations, especially with regard to trade.

With the official exit complete, the British lost the right to permanent residency and work permits in European Union countries.

In his New Year’s Day message, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said about Brexit: “This is a great moment for the country. We have gained our freedom and it is up to us to make the most of it.”

In a referendum that was held in June 2016, 52 percent of the British people voted in favor of the country’s exit from the European Union, while 48 percent opposed it.

And last week, the European Union and Britain signed the post-Brexit trade agreement, ending months of wrangling over fishing rights and future work rules.

The agreement that was signed is the regulator of the post-“Brexit” phase between the European Union and the United Kingdom, and it entered into force Thursday at 23:00 GMT.

The agreement includes the continuation of trade across the British border with the bloc without any customs duties or quotas, which means the continuation of trade at about $ 950 billion, which is the volume of trade between Britain and the remaining 26 countries in the bloc.

Britain is the biggest beneficiary of the agreement between the two sides, with trade without fees or quotas, as British producers were able to maintain a rich and huge market of about 400 million consumers.

The agreement between the two sides came just one week before the end of the temporary period for the final exit of Britain, “Brexit” from the European Union, on December 31, 2020.