The European Commission said Wednesday that it wanted a post-Brexit transition period, during which Britain must continue to obey EU rules, to finish at the end of 2020. Barnier reiterated that during the transition period Britain would remain part of the bloc’s single market, which authorises freedom of immigration for EU nationals, one of the key concerns of the pro-Brexit lobby in Britain. The rules of the single market were “indivisible” and there could be no “cherry-picking” by Britain during the transition, Barnier said. Draft legislation intended to smooth the process moved a step closer to becoming law on Wednesday as MPs held the final day of detailed scrutiny of a bill that transfers EU rules into British law. She repeated that Britain would be leaving the EU’s single market and customs union, but said the transition arrangements were “a practical matter that most people will understand and appreciate”.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 20, 2017 13:07 UTC