ANXIETY, ELATION AS UK DELIVERS BREXIT LETTER TO EUROPEAN UNION
DIVORCE STARTS Anxiety, elation as May triggers Article 50; India seen key partner of postBrexit UK
LONDON : Britain on Wednesday began the historic process of leaving the European Union, to which it was tethered for over four decades that enriched the country’s economy but generated much ennui over Brussels taking over ever more sovereign powers.
There was a mix of uncertainty and elation – The Guardian called it a “step into the unknown” – as the UK’s permanent representative in Brussels, Tim Barrow, handed over a letter signed by Prime Minister Theresa May to European Council president Donald Tusk.
The letter invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that sets out the two-year process for an EU member state to leave the group. If all phases of the process are completed on time – which many believe unlikely – the exit will be completed by March 29, 2019. It also sets out the UK’s approach to Brexit-related talks, the intention to repeal the European Communities Act of 1972 that gives effect to EU law in the country, and hope for a “deep and special” partnership with the EU in the future on issues such as security, environment and trade.
In her letter to Brussels, May wrote: “We recognise that it will be a challenge to reach such a comprehensive agreement within the two-year period set out for withdrawal discussions in the (Lisbon) Treaty. But we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU. We start from a unique position in these discussions – close regulatory alignment, trust in one another’s institutions, and a spirit of cooperation stretching back decades.
“It is for these reasons, and because the future partnership between the UK and the EU is of such importance to both sides, that I am sure it can be agreed in the time period set out by the Treaty. The task before us is momentous but it should not be beyond us.”
The development is of much interest to nearly 1,000 Indian companies that use their base in London and the UK to access the European market. Most have already taken steps to deal with the situation by relocating some staff in other European capitals.
It is also a matter of anxiety for thousands of residents of Goan origin who have Portuguese passports, and whose continued stay in the country is linked to the fate of British citizens in EU countries to be decided in early negotiations with Brussels.
India is one of the major countries in the Commonwealth the UK hopes to forge a free trade agreement with in the post-Brexit scenario.