Brexit

Before Greece risked falling out of the eurozone in 2015, Alexis Tsipras made his famous kolotoumba (somersault). At present, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shows little sign of backing down on his ambitious Brexit agenda, though there are many opinions implying that his is also a reckless gamble.

Turkey has been spared from joining the EU's blacklist, diplomatic sources said, though it has failed to fulfill its commitments and Brussels is under pressure to handle the tensions with Ankara.

However, the 27 EU Member States will add the Cayman Islands, the first British overseas territory to join the Black List after Brexit.

MEP Vincze Lorant has been appointed as permanent rapporteur by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament for the negotiations on the new EU-UK collaboration framework.

Turkey will be one of post-Brexit Britain's top destinations for a trade deal after the European Union and the U.S., but despite the strong bilateral desire to strike a trade pact, experts are cool on the prospects of it happening anytime soon.

The U.K. formally left the EU on Jan. 31, 2020 but will remain in a transition period with the EU and Turkey until Dec. 31 this year.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make changes to the government tomorrow, according to his office, cited by the France Press. These will be the first ministerial shifts in the UK since Brexit.

It is reported that Johnson wants to focus on domestic politics and reduce the number of ministers.

The Ankara Agreement and Customs Union with Turkey will continue during the Brexit transition period of 2020, and the two countries will work to sign a bilateral free trade agreement to be put into effect as of Jan. 1, 2021, British Ambassador to Ankara Sir Dominick Chilcott said on Feb. 7.

The strategic partnership between Romania and the United Kingdom, as well as Brexit were among the topics of the discussions between Interior Minister Marcel Vela and Andrew Noble, the UK Ambassador in Bucharest, in a meeting held at the Interior Ministry, informs a release of the Interior Ministry (MAI) sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday.

Already in December 2016, I noted, the Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump as US president signified the end of Euro-Atlantic project as it had existed in the Western Balkans. The subsequent three years have borne out the truth of this assessment.

Flags fly outside parliament event at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANDY RAIN

On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. We lost a member of our family. It was a sad moment for us, for European citizens - and, indeed, for many British citizens.
Nevertheless, we have always respected the sovereign decision of 52% of the British electorate, and we now look forward to starting a new chapter in our relations.

There are Romanians who have come to the United Kingdom because they found the prospects for a decent life there. Others have chosen British citizenship for cultural reasons - the love of Shakespeare. Some admit that if things do not go according to plan, they can always return home to Romania, and others know very clearly that the United Kingdom is their home for now.