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[...]Now that the U.K. and European parliaments have ratified the deal, it is up to the Council of the European Union, which represents 27 EU countries, to sign off on the agreement by qualified majority. Countries have until 1 p.m. on Thursday to submit their approval in writing, a Council official said.
Prior to the vote, MEPs held a debate with von der Leyen and Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit chief.
“We will always love you and we will never be far,” von der Leyen said, turning to look at some of the British MEPs who attended the plenary. “Long live Europe,” she added. But she also insisted that “no new partnership” between the EU and the U.K. “will bring back the benefits of being part of the EU.”
“We will certainly not expose our companies to unfair competition,” she added. [...]
Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s Party MEPs, made similar remarks during the debate, saying there would be “no cherry picking, no European Singapore next to our markets,” after Brexit.
“We only will grant them [Brits] access to our market if they respect the European rules,” Weber said. [...]