EU to adopt laws by end-Dec to safeguard against Brexit no deal: document

The EC said Tuesday it intended to adopt by the end of December all the legislation necessary to prepare the EU for a British exit without a divorce agreement should it be necessary by Brexit day on March 29. The EU executive is in charge of negotiating a departure agreement with Britain on behalf of the 27 countries remaining in the EU after Britain leaves. As Britain’s exit date comes closer and negotiations on the withdrawal treaty have not yet been completed, the Commission issued a document on Tuesday on the preparations the EU would have to take in case a divorce agreement could not be reached. “The draft Withdrawal Agreement constitutes the best option for the withdrawal. In the absence of a Withdrawal Agreement, the European Union will act to protect its interests, and should display a united and coordinated approach in all areas,” the Commission said. In London, the BBC said the EU and Britain had agreed a draft Brexit divorce deal text and Prime Minister Theresa May would present the agreement to her senior ministers on Wednesday. Any deal has to be approved by parliament. On air traffic, the Commission said it would propose extending current rules to allow UK airlines to land in EU territory and take off from its airports, but that this was conditional on Britain applying equivalent measures for carriers from the bloc.<br/>