The UK has agreed to grant full ambassadorial status to the EU representative in London, after months of denial following the tense Brexit, the two sides said on Wednesday.
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The deal was announced after a meeting of British foreign minister Dominic Raab and EU chief Josep Borrell on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in London.
It "
is based on goodwill and pragmatism,
" they said in a joint statement.
“
The EU ambassador will have a status in line with that of heads of state missions, including the approval and presentation of credentials to the head of state,
” they explain.
"
Staff of the EU delegation will be granted the privileges and immunity necessary to function effectively,
" they add.
Full diplomatic immunity
The United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, 2020, and at the end of an eleven-month transition period freed itself from all European rules by leaving the single market and the Customs Union. After this rupture, negotiations were launched, so far unsuccessful, to determine whether EU Ambassador to London Joao Vale de Almeida and his team should enjoy full diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention, like the diplomats of a sovereign state, or the immunity conferred on international organizations, a privileged position by London. This dispute was fueling post-Brexit tensions between the UK and the EU.
