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Business News/ News / World/  Brexit: How easy is it to leave the European Union?
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Brexit: How easy is it to leave the European Union?

The agreement to conclude requires a 'qualified majority' and consent of the European Parliament, a long-winded process

Outgoing British prime minister David Cameron, who opposed the campaign to leave the EU, said he would not be invoking Article 50 before he leaves office in October. Photo: BloombergPremium
Outgoing British prime minister David Cameron, who opposed the campaign to leave the EU, said he would not be invoking Article 50 before he leaves office in October. Photo: Bloomberg

New Delhi: The markets took a free fall after a referendum in the UK decided that it would leave the European Union. But how easy is it to leave the EU?

Several news organisations, like The Guardian and The Week, have written about Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

What is Article 50?

Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty talks of withdrawal from the EU. The withdrawal mechanism, a series of negotiations on the terms of withdrawal and the EU’s future relationships with the country kicks off when a member state notifies the EU of its intention to leave.

Does the referendum count as this notification?

Officially, no. The referendum, in which a majority voted to leave the EU, is a non-binding reflection of what the people want. A formal notice will have to go from the British government.

Outgoing British prime minister David Cameron, who opposed the campaign to leave the EU, said he would not be invoking Article 50 before he leaves office in October. Read more

What’s the procedure for leaving the EU?

The members of the EU enter into negotiations with the country choosing to leave and enter into an agreement. This agreement is of the nature the EU would enter into with a third country (an international agreement), regulated by Article 218(3) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union.

The agreement to conclude requires a “qualified majority" and consent of the European Parliament, a long-winded process.

This qualified majority comes to at least 72% of the members of the Council representing Member States comprising at least 65% of the population of these States, often referred to as a double majority.

When do the EU treaties stop applying to a country that’s leaving?

The EU treaties stop applying to the country leaving from the day the withdrawal agreement come into force or two years from the day of invoking Article 50. This two-year period can be extended.

This means that the actual impact of a country leaving the EU will be known only at the end of the negotiations or the two-year period, if unextended.

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Published: 28 Jun 2016, 08:14 AM IST
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