BERLIN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- After the rejection of the Brexit deal between the EU and Britain by British House of Commons, the German Bundestag on Thursday passed a law to prepare for a possible transition period until late 2020.
The law was supported by all parties except the right-wing Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) and will only come into effect in case of an orderly Brexit in which Britain would practically remain a member of the European Union for another 21 months while losing its voting rights in Brussels.
During the parliamentary debate, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned that "the probability of a disorderly Brexit has increased significantly." Maas appealed to the 27 other members of the European Union(EU) to maintain their unity.
The new law seeks to provide legal clarity for British and German citizens and businesses during the transition period during which both sides could still apply for citizenship. Applications will be valid if they are submitted during the transition period, even if citizenship has not been granted by the end of 2020.
A motion for a resolution by Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP) that sought to support Britain's withdrawal from Brexit was only supported by the FDP and the Green Party and thus failed to find a majority in the Bundestag.
Maas dismissed a withdrawal from Article 50 and a second referendum as "pure speculation" but did not rule out an extension of the deadline scheduled for March 29.
