European Union ambassadors approved a provisional application of the E.U.-United Kingdom future relations agreement, paving the way for implementing the deal on January 1. A spokesperson for the German Presidency of the Council of the E.U. tweeted that, “E.U. Ambassadors have unanimously approved the provisional application of the E.U.-U.K. Trade and Cooperation Agreement as of January 1, 2021.” Politico says while the go-ahead from the ambassadors is an important step, official approval will likely come on Tuesday (today). Some countries like Sweden still need to consult their national parliament. Final adoption of the trade text will be done via a written procedure, which means that countries send a note of consent to the E.U. Council. Brussels and London clinched the U.K.-E.U. trade deal on December 24. The European Commission presented the treaty as an E.U.-only agreement with a limited provisional application, which means the E.U. can provisionally implement the agreement with the approval of E.U. countries, but without the consent of the European Parliament. The British Parliament has been called back for December 30 to ratify the deal, which is highly likely to pass.