Michel Barnier

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Iulia Matei participated in the informal meeting of ministers and state secretaries for European Affairs from EU member states, held in videoconference format, informs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).

EU ambassadors have today approved the Brexit trade deal with the UK, ahead of the MPs vote.

The deal, hammered out on Christmas Eve ahead of implementation on January 1, has been given another green light with the unanimous approval.

It comes as MPs in Britain are preparing to vote on the deal in a special sitting of Parliament on Wednesday.

The fast-track ratification of the post-Brexit trade deal between the U.K. and the European Union got underway on Christmas Day as ambassadors from the bloc's 27 nations started assessing the accord that takes effect in a week.

Political leaders in Europe on Dec. 24 hailed the belated sealing of a U.K.-EU post-Brexit deal that aims to lay the groundwork for long-term future cooperation.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lauded what he termed "a good deal for the whole of Europe," which offers "a new stability and a new certainty" to relations.

Romania salutes the agreement partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland regarding future relations, after the UK left the European Union, says president Klaus Iohannis in a message published on Thursday, on Twitter.

In a speech to the European Parliament on Friday,  European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier gave a stark assessment of the ultimatum the EU is giving to the British: access to the EU's single market will be conditional on keeping British fishing waters open to boats from the bloc.

 European Union Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said  that "the next few days are important" for negotiations if a trade deal with Britain is going to be in place for Jan. 1, when the United Kingdom finally leaves the European Union.

A trade deal is unlikely to be agreed with the UK by Sunday's deadline, European leaders have been warned according to Bbc.

They were told by European Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen no deal was the likeliest end to "difficult" talks.

British lawmakers have voted to reinstate a controversial section of a bill which could allow them to break international law after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he will travel to Brussels to break a deadlock in post-Brexit negotiations.

Michel Barnier has warned Boris Johnson to stick to his promises as he warned there would not be a trade deal otherwise.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator is playing hard ball with the Prime Minister ahead of a fourth round of trade talks this week as he insisted the prospect of a no-deal end to the transition period this year would be compounded by the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.