BRUSSELS – The New Year could finally bring a fresh start and a commitment to let bygones be bygones for Britain and the European Union.
But don’t bet on it.The U.K. has chosen to leave the EU, setting a course away from the continental mainland. But the two sides’ histories have been too intertwined for 1,000 years for the split to be simple.Eleven months after Britain’s formal departure from the EU, Brexit becomes a fact of daily life on Friday, once a transition period ends and the U.K.
fully leaves the world’s most powerful trading bloc.But customs controls, red tape and the residue of bile caused by years of acrimonious divorce talks may provide the sting — not the thrill — of the new.