国际英语资讯:Spotlight: EU publishes draft Withdrawal Agreement on Brexit, triggering strong disapproval_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: EU publishes draft Withdrawal Agreement on Brexit, triggering strong disapproval

As to the financial settlement, the agreement translates into legal terms the agreement reached on December 8, 2017, between the EU and Britain on the terms of the financial settlement and includes certain practical modalities, such as payment deadlines, as proposed by the European Commission.

On the Irish border issue, the draft text spells out in detail how the principle of "regulatory alignment" agreed in last December would be implemented if Britain fails to find technological or diplomatic solutions to keeping the border open.

If such solutions are not found, "the territory of Northern Ireland, excluding the territorial waters of the United Kingdom ... shall be considered to be part of the customs territory of the Union," said the agreement.

"I hope that, thanks to this document, thanks to the negotiations we are about to have, we will continue to move as I wish towards an orderly withdrawal from the United Kingdom of the European Union," said Barnier.

However, London didn't echo Barnier's optimism as expected.

Answering questions in the Commons less than an hour after the publication of the text, British Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs that "The draft legal text the Commission have published would, if implemented, undermine the UK common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea, and no UK prime minister could ever agree to it."