EU Lawmakers Debate Brexit Accord Before Decisive Vote

BRUSSELS - EU lawmakers debated the post-Brexit trade agreement between the European Union and Britain for the last time on Tuesday, ahead of a vote that is expected to give the accord overwhelming approval.

That should be the final step towards ratification of the trade and cooperation deal, struck in December after more than four years of acrimonious negotiations and lingering mistrust as Britain ended 47 years of EU membership. "This is a divorce. It is a warning, Brexit. It's a failure of the European Union and we have to learn lessons from it," the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, told lawmakers, who gave him a standing ovation for his work. The accord crafted in the last days of 2020 only took force provisionally until the end of April, pending approval from the European Parliament. Lawmakers will vote late on Tuesday, with the outcome made public on Wednesday morning.