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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Monday to offer Britain a 21-month transition period after Brexit next year during which it will keep the “status quo” of EU membership without getting a vote, officials said.

Ministers took just two minutes to endorse a common stance drafted by officials, Sabine Weyand, the deputy to EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, said on Twitter -- a mark of efforts among the other 27 member states to maintain unity in the talks.

The offer, Weyand noted, was: “Status quo transition without institutional representation, lasting from Brexit date to 31 December 2020.”