A European source said that the negotiators of the European Union and Britain reached an agreement on Brexit.

Thus, a week before the deadline, the thriller of the customs union and market negotiations, which could have led to a no Brexit with adverse trade consequences, was avoided.

The announcement followed a recent morning telephone conversation between Boris Johnson at Downing Street and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels – the fifth contact in the last 24 hours.

The 2,000-page trade agreement has an unprecedented scope, as it contains provisions on issues ranging from political nuclear cooperation and energy interconnections to fisheries and aviation.

EU officials give statement on #Brexit https://t.co/6jkuwezJZt

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 24, 2020

Downing Street 10 issued a statement on the deal:

Dead is done. Everything that the British public was promised during the 2016 referendum and in the general election last year is delivered by this deal.

• We have taken back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and our fishing waters

• The deal is fantastic news for families and businesses in every part of the UK. We have signed the first free trade agreement based on zero tariffs and zero quotas that has ever been achieved with the EU

• The deal is the biggest bilateral trade deal signed by either side, covering trade worth £668bn in 2019

• The deal also guarantees that we are no longer in the lunar pull of the EU, we are not bound by EU rules, there is no role for the European Court of Justice and all of our key red lines about returning sovereignty have been achieved. It means that we will have full political and economic independence on 1st January 2021

• A points-based immigration system will put us in full control of who enters the UK and free movement will end

• We have delivered this great deal for the entire United Kingdom in record time, and under extremely challenging conditions, which protects the integrity of our internal market and Northern Ireland’s place within it

• We have got Brexit done and we can now take full advantage of the fantastic opportunities available to us as an independent trading nation, striking trade deals with other partners around the world

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  The shift of the currency exchange rate with the strengthening of the euro against the pound sterling makes Greek exportable products more expensive and therefore less competitive. Greek exports to the United Kingdom amount to 2.5 billion euros annually, corresponding to 1.4% of GDP and mainly concern food, fresh and processed goods.

  Students enrolled in UK universities in the next academic year (2021) and later will face a significant rise in tuition fees, as they will have to pay an amount commensurate to that of international students, which, on average (depending on the university and the degree), stands at 16,500 euros per year.

  But those who are already enrolled and attending a university program before the end of December 2020 will not be affected by tuition hikes. This will not change as long as their studies last. That is, for those who have already started studies before the finalised Brexit date, nothing changes.