The European Parliament has approved the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, with a special ceremony to begin the ‘farewells’ held last night. Ursula von der Leyen said that the ratification is ‘only a first step’ towards the final relationship, which will need much work, but that Europe ‘will always love you, and we will not be far.’
Meanwhile, in a more positive sign for the European Union, business confidence figures for Germany and Italy both came in better than expected. Loans to households showed a small increase, but loans to companies dropped to a two-year low – showing two sides to the current economic situation, with some industries struggling but consumers remaining confident.
