Brussels to extend deadline for Brexit deal ratification by EU Parliament
Brussels is set to extend the deadline the European Parliament has to ratify the UK-EU Brexit trade deal.
The deadline is reportedly set to be extended from February to April to give MEPs more time to scrutinise the 1200-page text.
The deal has already been ratified by the EU’s 27 ambassadors, which ensured it came into place when the UK left the EU single market and customs union on 31 December.
However, it will not be officially ratified until the European parliament votes it through.
One EU diplomat told Irish broadcaster RTE: “The European Parliament needs more time, the Council [of the European Union] needs more time to produce the authentic language versions and there’s also this discussion on governance which is also going to be more protracted than people thought.
“Nobody wants to rush a conclusion by the end of February so a number of member states are saying we need to do it later.”