Seven days before the Brexit transition period ends on December 31, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) announced the reaching of an agreement that will govern the EU-UK trade and security relationship starting from January 1, .
5:19 AM MYT BRUSSELS, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) Seven days before the Brexit transition period ends on Dec. 31, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday afternoon announced the reaching of an agreement that will govern the EU-UK trade and security relationship starting from Jan. 1, 2021. The European Parliament and EU member states hailed the last-minute deal with relief while some, with a sentiment tinged with caution, pledged to scrutinize the text before giving a green light. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, at a press conference in Brussels, said the 27-member bloc has reached a fair and balanced agreement with Britain.
Spotlight: EU nations welcome trade deal with UK, pledging scrutiny before approval - Xinhua xinhuanet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from xinhuanet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Reuters Staff
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LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal’s parliament on Friday approved a 15-day extension of a state of emergency to Dec. 23 under a decree that envisages a further extension into January, as the government prepared measures to limit COVID-19 contagion during the holiday season.
The nationwide state of emergency to tackle the second wave of the virus initially came into force on Nov. 9 and will now likely stay in place at least until Jan. 7.
Parliament can only authorise extensions of 15 days, but in his decree, which lawmakers approved on Friday, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa had made clear the extension until January was on the cards.
Portugal s president to ask parliament to extend COVID-19 emergency reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.