What Exactly is Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty?
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Since Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, the words ‘article 50’ have been bandied round the media with enough magnitude that it’s been made to sound like some sort of apocalyptic disease spawning on the shores of Britain.
In reality, article 50 is nothing more than 261 words in a 358 article-long treaty, yet for Britain, those words will define our future.
The crucial paragraphs of article 50 outline exactly how a member state should go about withdrawing from the European Union. Whilst EU officials have been incessantly applying pressure on Britain to formally invoke article 50 since the referendum, we’re under no obligation to begin negotiations immediately – with political uncertainty left, right and centre (literally), the wisest decision is to hold off on formally announcing our intention to leave. Once we do this, a period of two years of negotiation begins, in which Britain and the Union negotiate the exact terms of ‘Brexit’, and our future relationship – indeed if we choose to maintain one – with the EU will become clear. Should both parties fail to agree amicable terms within the time period, Britain will essentially leave with nothing.
Notably vague, the fifth paragraph of article 50 briefly touches upon the idea that a state rejoining the Union after it has left “shall be subject to the procedure referred to in article 49”, which are the conditions of entry for any other prospective member states. However, whether Britain would be given such favourable treatment in future if it did wish to return to the Union remains to be seen.