On January 29, 2020, the European Parliament voted to approve the United Kingdom (UK) Withdrawal Agreement in a vote of 621-49.  The European Council subsequently voted to approve the agreement, which will be effective when the UK leaves the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020.

The transition period for the withdrawal will last until December 31, 2020.  During this period, the UK will not be represented in the EU institutions, but it will continue to follow EU laws.  The UK and EU will begin negotiations for their future relationship at the beginning of the transition period, and they can choose to extend the transition for up to two years.

The press release on the European Parliament’s vote can be found here:

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20200128IPR71204/brexit-deal-approved-by-the-european-parliament

The press release on the European Council’s vote can be found here:

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/01/30/brexit-council-adopts-decision-to-conclude-the-withdrawal-agreement/?utm_source=dsms-auto&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Brexit%3A%20Council%20adopts%20decision%20to%20conclude%20the%20withdrawal%20agreement