#LSEEurope: Before the end of the month, I expect both the British & European Parliaments to ratify the agreement. In just over 3 weeks, on the 31st of January, the UK will spend its last day as a member state. This will be a tough and emotional day.
But when the sun rises again on February 1st, the EU & the UK will still be the best of friends and partners. The bonds between us will still be unbreakable. We will still contribute to each other’s societies. We will still have a lot to learn from each other.
Truth is: Our partnership cannot and will not be the same as before. And it cannot and will not be as close as before because with every choice comes a consequence. With every decision comes a trade-off. 
The more divergence there is, the more distant the partnership has to be. And without an extension of the transition period beyond 2020, you cannot expect to agree on every single aspect of our new partnership. We will have to prioritise.
But we are ready to design a new partnership with zero tariffs, zero quotas, zero dumping. A partnership that goes well beyond trade and is unprecedented in scope.
And we are ready to work day and night to get as much of this done within the timeframe we have. #LSEEurope
And we are ready to work day and night to get as much of this done within the timeframe we have. #LSEEurope
