On 24 December, a week before Brexit took full effect on 1 January, the EU and UK finally struck an agreement on their future trade and economic partnership. The agreement covers not just trade in goods and services, but also a broad range of other areas such as investment, competition, state aid, tax transparency, air and road transport, energy and sustainability, fisheries, data protection, and social security coordination, as well as commitments to ensure fair competition, by maintaining high levels of protection in areas such as environmental protection, the fight against climate change and carbon pricing, tax transparency and state aid, and social and labour rights. Some 1,200 pages long, this last-minute deal has already become law in the UK after it was approved by the country’s parliament and the Queen. The ambassadors of the 27 EU member states also gave the go-ahead, allowing the agreement to be applied provisionally from the first day of the year. However, it has yet to be ratified by the European Parliament, a process dreaded by some observers who are worried about further difficult and possibly lengthy negotiations, with the current deadline for provisional application set at 28 February. This is our first coverage of the deal, though we will return to some more specific points if necessary.
Visa required for stays of three months or more. Free movement has ended as planned to make way for a visa system. For the time being, the agreement specifies that UK or EU citizens wanting to travel across the border will need a visa if their stay exceeds 90 days in any 180-day period. In an annex, the text specifically addresses transfers within companies and internships: “The permissible length of stay shall be for a period of up to three years for managers and specialists, up to one year fo
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