Great Britain Officially Resigned from the European Union

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation expressing confidence that for many “Brexit” is a “moment of hope”. London left the EU 3.5 years after the referendum. Great Britain officially ceased to be a member of the European Union on Saturday, February 1. This happened three and a half years after the Brexit referendum. An hour before the official UK exit from the EU, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an address to the nation, he is one of the leaders in the campaign, who in 2016 supported London’s exit from the European community. In his video, posted on the British Prime Minister’s Facebook page, Johnson said his conservative government “obeyed the people” and his will. “For many people, this is an astonishing moment of hope, a moment that they thought would never come,” he stressed, although he admitted that there are those who “feel a sense of anxiety and loss.” "Finally, there is a third group - perhaps the biggest - who had started to worry that this whole political wrangle would never come to an end," Johnson added. “We obeyed the people who voted for Brexit during the referendum in 2016,” he summed up, returning “the tools of self-government” to himself. Countdown to X-hour At least 5,000 people gathered on the square near Westminster Palace, where the British Parliament sits, to watch the countdown to the X-hour. The clock was also projected onto the official residence of Prime Minister Johnson in London at 10 Downing Street. Many of those present brought along British flags (Union Jack) and, waving them, watched a photo selection of the most significant shots that captured an entire era - the most memorable episodes of the 47-year stay of London in the European Union. After the 12th blow of Big Ben (it sounded in the record, since the 14-ton bell of the clock tower has been under restoration since 2017 and rings only on holidays, for example, on New Year's Eve), the anthem “God Save the Queen” was performed. Then the orchestra played live the music of the English composer Thomas Arn for the patriotic song "Rule, Britain!" The participants in response burst into exultant cries: “Come out!”, “We did it!”, “Well, that's all.” Unlike London, in Brussels no symbolic actions were carried out. It was only the Union Jack flag that was taken away at the European Parliament building and replaced with the flag of the European Union. Since the referendum till the Brexit day, early elections were called twice in the UK and two prime ministers were replaced in the country. Now, by the end of the year, London needs to not only conclude a free trade agreement with Brussels, but also agree on at least 10 or 11 other topics, including the security sphere. If this does not succeed, the country expects a “tough” scenario: the introduction of tariffs from the World Trade Organization, a shortage of medicines and products from the EU. Brussels claims to be “well prepared” even for such a situation. “The most difficult moments were settled within the framework of the agreement on Britain’s exit from the EU,” Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, explained in an exclusive interview to DW. An after Brexit transition period The British authorities initially planned Brexit on March 29, 2019, but the bill was repeatedly rejected by Parliament. In December 2019, early parliamentary elections were held in the country, as a result of which the Johnson Conservative Party received an absolute majority in parliament. In early January, the House of Commons supported the Brexit agreement. On January 22, the House of Lords voted for it, on January 23 - Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain put her signature. On February 1, began the transitional period which is to last 11 months. By December 31, 2020, the UK and the EU must sign a trade agreement.