The European Parliament has voted in favor of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement to set the rules for the future EU-UK relationship. The agreement formed on December 24, 2020, has been provisionally applied since January 1, 2021. With the Parliament consent, the agreement will enter into force permanently. The zero quotas and zero tariffs trade agreement between the EU and UK is being viewed positively by members of European Parliament (MEPs) as it guarantees on fair competition rules, Members of European Parliament (MEPs) add.

However, MEPs regret that the UK did not want the agreement to extend to foreign, security and development policies and did not want to participate in the Erasmus+ student exchange program. Andreas Schieder (S&D, AT), Rapporteur for the Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament says, the EU and the UK have created the basis for a relationship among equals. However, much work remains on foreign policy and educational exchange programs. For citizens’ interests to be represented, the parliament must be closely involved.