Theresa May first proposed a transition, or implementation, period in her Florence speech in September last year. She said that she thought it should last “around two years”, but when they set out their negotiating guidelines in January, the commission’s negotiator, Michel Barnier, introduced a December 2020 deadline. A shorter transition period avoids complexities over a continuing UK contribution to EU finances in return for access to the single market and the customs union, which continue during the transition period. The new EU accounting period, called the multiannual financial framework, ends at the end of 2020.
David Davis says he could live with shorter Brexit transition period
- Thursday, Mar 15 2018
David Davis, the Brexit secretary, has said he “could live with” a 21-month transition period as Britain leaves the EU. He made the concession, demanded by commission negotiators, with EU talks in Brussels a week away. Davis told BBC Newsnight: “I’m not bothered too much about the question of whether it is Christmas 2020 or Easter 2021.” He said that getting a deal at next week’s council was “more important to me than a few months either way”.