European Parliament only votes on Brexit after the British do

Photo by Christian Wagner on Unsplash

The European Parliament will only vote on the Brexit agreement once the Parliament in London has approved all necessary laws. The chairmen of the European Parliament adopted that opinion from their Brexit working group on Monday evening as expected.

When the British Parliament will pass judgment on the deal is not yet clear. Prime Minister Johnson's government plans to submit the entire package of bills today (Tuesday) so that it can be voted on later this week. It is highly uncertain whether the British MPs carry all the complicated laws in two or three in it & #8216; through coats & #8217 ;, as is doubted in Strasbourg.

Should the green light come from London, the European Parliament may, if necessary, convene a special session in Strasbourg or Brussels next week to get the paperwork in order by 31 October.

& #8220; We will advise that there must be full ratification in the UK before we can give our final vote & #8221 ;, said Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt from the European Parliament. We are not going to ratify something that may never be ratified on the other side of the Channel, Philippe Lamberts of the European Greens put it.

The European Parliament is already preparing, & #8220; but for now the ball is in the field of the United Kingdom. & #8221; The group leaders will meet again on Thursday to discuss possible next steps.