The 27 European Union states are expected to formally back the post-Brexit trade deal within days.
Ambassadors from the member states were today briefed on the contents of the deal by the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.
They have written to the European Parliament to say they intend to take a decision on the preliminary application of the deal within days.
The deal governing post-Brexit trade needs the approval of the EU's 27 member states.
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Sebastian Fischer, a spokesman for the German presidency of the Council of the EU, joked that he was looking forward to the diplomats' meeting "because nothing is more fun than to celebrate Christmas among socially distanced colleagues".
"Thank you Brexit," he said, perhaps underlining the EU's desire to move on from the issue.
French Europe minister Clement Beaune said it was a "good agreement" and stressed the EU had not accepted a deal "at all costs".
He told broadcaster Europe 1 "we needed an agreement less than the British" as "for them, it was a vital need".
Mr Beaune said British food and industrial products entering the European single market after January 1 will not pay customs duties "but will have to meet all our standards".
"There is no country in the world that will be subject to as many export rules to us as the UK," he said.
The final 2,000-page agreement was held up by last-minute wrangling over fishing as both sides haggled over the access EU fisherman will get to Britain's waters after the end of the year.
The deal will preserve Britain's zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the bloc's single market of 450 million consumers, but will not prevent economic pain and disruption for the United Kingdom or for EU member states.
Many aspects of Britain's future relationship with the EU remain to be hammered out, possibly over years.
The UK formally left the EU on 31 January but has since been in a transition period under which rules on trade, travel and business remained unchanged until the end of this year.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said that since 52% of Britons had voted to leave the EU, he did not want to accept the rules of its single market or its customs union after 1 January.
The EU did not want to give unfettered privileges to a freewheeling, deregulated British economy outside the bloc, and so potentially encourage others to leave - resulting in a tortuous negotiation.
"It was a long and winding road," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters yesterday, quoting the Paul McCartney song.
"But we have got a good deal to show for it...Finally we can leave Brexit behind us and look to the future. Europe is now moving on."
The British parliament will debate and vote on the deal on 30 December, just one day before the transition period lapses.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the deal as a good compromise and said the foundations had been set for a harmonious relationship.
