Uk to trigger article 50 starting brexit process
A significant moment in history!
On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom formally triggered Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), starting the process of withdrawing from the European Union (EU). This marked the beginning of the Brexit process, which would ultimately lead to the UK's departure from the EU.
Article 50 is a provision in the TEU that allows a member state to withdraw from the EU. The process is as follows:
- Notification: The member state must formally notify the European Council (the EU's governing body) of its intention to withdraw from the EU.
- Negotiation period: The EU and the withdrawing member state must negotiate the terms of the withdrawal, including issues such as trade, borders, and citizens' rights.
- Withdrawal agreement: The parties must agree on a withdrawal agreement, which outlines the terms of the withdrawal.
- Ratification: The withdrawal agreement must be ratified by the EU and the withdrawing member state.
- Withdrawal: The member state officially leaves the EU.
In the case of the UK, the notification was delivered by Prime Minister Theresa May to European Council President Donald Tusk on March 29, 2017. The notification letter stated that the UK intended to withdraw from the EU by March 29, 2019, unless a withdrawal agreement was reached before then.
The triggering of Article 50 marked the beginning of a two-year negotiation period, during which the UK and the EU would negotiate the terms of the withdrawal. The negotiations were complex and contentious, with disagreements over issues such as the Irish border, the rights of EU citizens in the UK, and the UK's financial obligations to the EU.
On January 31, 2020, the UK officially left the EU, marking the end of its 47-year membership. The UK and EU have since entered a transition period, during which they are negotiating a new trade agreement and other arrangements to govern their future relationship.