UK Will Remain EU’s Friend, Ally After Brexit – Macron

PARIS (Sputnik) – The United Kingdom will remain the friend and ally of the European Union after completing its withdrawal from the union, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

On Thursday, the transition period for the UK relations with the European Union came to an end. On 24 December, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced that they had reached a deal on the future relations between the bloc and London.

“The United Kingdom will remain our neighbor as well as friend and ally. This decision to leave Europe, Brexit, was a product of the European confusion as well as multiple lies and false promises. But I want to be clear today: our destiny is primarily in Europe,” Macron said in his New Year address on Thursday.

The United Kingdom officially left the European Union on 31 January, completing a three-and-a-half-year process that began with the 2016 Brexit referendum. Until the end of 2020, the UK is subject to EU rules and regulations as part of the transition period.