Withdrawal from the European Union

Greek private sector bank deposits rose in December after a fall in the previous month, central bank data showed on Wednesday.

Businesses and household deposits came in at 143.1 billion euros ($158.78 billion), up from 139.6 billion in November, Bank of Greece data showed.

The UK is ready to leave the EU on January 31st. This was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

After the Brexit bill was approved by the House of Commons, it was also voted on by the House of Lords on Wednesday. The document must now be signed by Queen Elizabeth. This is expected to happen today or tomorrow, after which it will enter into force.

British Prime Minister Boris Jonson has stated that the immigration system after Brexit will put "people before passports"  and will be able to "attract the best talent from around the world, wherever they may be," he said.

This happened at the UK-Africa Investment Summit. Earlier it was announced that the UK will introduce a points based system lite the one in Australia.

It is explained that Brexit, French President Emmanuel Macron, who said he was not in favor of enlargement, along with the Kosovo issue, had contributed to the decrease of the support for EU membership.

The U.K. House of Commons on Jan. 9 approved the EU Withdrawal Bill after its final reading, paving the way for full legislation.

The bill based on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's revised deal was passed by MPs in a 330 to 231 votes with a majority of 99.

It is expected to complete the House of Lords stages without major disagreements and to wait for Royal assent to become law.

The United Kingdom and the EU will remain "best friends", but after Brexit, they will not be as close as they were before, the new president of the European Commission said.

AGEPRRES special correspondent Dana Piciu reports: Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Tuesday that the Romanian citizens currently living in the UK have their rights guaranteed. "Romanians who are today in the UK, have, in fact, their rights guaranteed, there are provisions in the agreement that guarantee their rights.

Brexit, enlargement and the EU budget look set to dominate Croatia's six-month presidency of the bloc, against a backdrop of elections at home.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will present the Brexit bill to lawmakers today.

In the meantime, his government has set a timetable for ratifying the EU exit deal. It must be approved by the Lower House by January 9th. The agreement is then to be ratified by the House of Lords.

Eurozone bond yields rose on Wednesday after more upbeat European economic data helped offset some of the anxiety about a new Brexit cliff-edge that boosted demand for safe-haven government debt a day earlier.