It is official.
The formal process of the United Kingdom exiting the European Union has begun:
The U.K. formally began the process of exiting the European Union on Wednesday, embarking on an unprecedented path from which British Prime Minister Theresa May said there would be no turning back.
Nine months after Britain voted to leave the EU, Tim Barrow, Britain’s ambassador to the bloc, hand-delivered a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk formally notifying the bloc that the U.K. will be the first member state ever to leave it.
“This is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back,” Mrs. May said in Parliament. “Britain is leaving the European Union.”
This is the first of potentially many steps that could not only lead to the unraveling of the European Union, but of countries with the Union as well, including the UK. Among the current moves away from either the EU or European countries include the following:
- Scotland: The Scottish Parliament has approved a referendum that would ask citizens whether Scotland should break away from the United Kingdom so that it can become a member of the European Union. However, UK Prime Minister Theresa May says that “now is not the time” for a referendum.
- France: Marine Le Pen, who has called for Franch to leave the EU, is leading in one of the latest opinion polls, and now stands to win 25 percent of the first round of voting.
- Spain: The regional government of Catalonia, where Barcelona is located, has pledged to hold a binding referendum on independence this year, notwithstanding Spanish government’s refusal to recognize the outcome.
Meanwhile, there are active Euroskeptic movements in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland.
How the European Union and the countries within it reacts to all of these movements will be fascinating to watch.
The post Europe Watch: United Kingdom formally begins process of exiting the European Union appeared first on A Simple Fool.
Source: A Simple Fool