By Jenny Gross in London and Laurence Norman in Brussels
The U.K. on Wednesday formally began the process of exiting from
the European Union, starting 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 country 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."
Managing Britain's exit will be a major political test for Mrs.
May, who has only a small majority in Parliament. She faces
competing pressure from lawmakers on the right wing of her
Conservative party who want a complete cutting of ties with
Brussels and from politicians in Scotland, who say they will secede
from the U.K. if Mrs. May fails to cut a deal that maintains close
trade ties.
The negotiations will also be a test of the unity of the
remaining 27 nations of the EU--which have different
priorities--and the endurance of the bloc as a whole; the U.K.'s
exit, and the shape of any new deal, will dramatically shift the
internal dynamics of the bloc.
Striking a conciliatory tone, Mrs. May attempted to reach out
broadly--offering assurances of good will to the bloc, to fellow
Britons, however they voted, and to EU citizens who make the U.K.
home. She promised to "represent every person in the United
Kingdom--young and old, rich and poor, city, town, country and all
the villages and hamlets in between."
"I choose to believe in Britain and that our best days lie
ahead," she said, adding that "we will do all we can to help the
European Union prosper and succeed."
Mr. Tusk, speaking in Brussels, expressed regret about Britain's
decision to leave, saying that "in essence, this is about damage
control."
"There is no reason to pretend that this is a happy day, neither
in Brussels nor in London," he said. "We already miss you."
The triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which governs
EU law, opens a two-year window for Britain to negotiate the terms
of its exit from the bloc, unraveling 44 years of ties.
Many of Britain's anti-EU politicians have been waiting for this
moment for years. "The impossible dream is happening," said Nigel
Farage, one of the leaders of the Brexit movement, in a message
from his Twitter account. "Today we pass the point of no
return."
The negotiations are expected to be tough. Early indications are
that Britain and the EU are far apart. Mrs. May has said Britain
would pursue a clean break from the EU, regaining control over
immigration, leaving the jurisdiction of the bloc's courts and
exiting its common market.
British officials have said they want to negotiate the best new
deal they can for trade with the EU. European leaders have said
they don't want to punish the U.K. for leaving, but won't grant
Britain a better deal outside the club than it had in it.
Mrs. May acknowledged that in her speech, saying she accepted
European warnings that Britain can choose what it would like to
keep from the EU while dropping obligations it doesn't.
"We understand that there will be consequences for the U.K. of
leaving the EU," she said. "We know that we will lose influence
over the rules that affect the European economy. We know that U.K.
companies that trade with the EU will have to align with rules
agreed by institutions of which we are no longer a part, just as we
do in other overseas markets. We accept that."
Mrs. May wants to negotiate the U.K.'s new trading and financial
relationship with the 27 other EU member states, during which she
will strive to protect London's status as a financial hub.
One of the first--and likely most contentious--issues in the
negotiations is set to be how much the U.K. will have to pay to
exit from the bloc. While some U.K. officials have said the country
shouldn't have to pay anything, EU officials say the bill, which
would include payments for programs the U.K. had committed to
before it voted to leave, could be as high as EUR50 billion ($54
billion) to EUR60 billion.
Mrs. May said in the letter the U.K. wants talks on the future
relationship with the EU to take place alongside negotiations over
the terms of its exit, acknowledging that reaching a comprehensive
deal within that time would be difficult. Some European officials
have previously signaled that they want the U.K. to settle any
outstanding payments to the EU before trade talks commence.
Politicians who supported staying urged Mrs. May to keep close
ties with the bloc. "It is crucial that in this two-year period the
voices and concerns of those who want to preserve close links
between Britain and Europe are not shouted down and silenced, and
that those with power over this process are held to account," said
Anna Soubry, a Conservative lawmaker.
Mrs. May has said one of her priorities is to guarantee EU
citizens living in Britain and U.K. citizens living in other parts
of Europe continue to have the right to stay even after the U.K.
leaves. The EU has said talks on that issue alone will likely take
at least several months.
The U.K. and the EU will also have to decide what to do with
unspent EU funds that were supposed to go to U.K. farmers, how to
implement cross-border security arrangements including access to EU
security databases, and whether the U.K. will stay under the
jurisdiction of EU regulatory agencies for issues, like nuclear
power, that are handled by the bloc's institutions.
On Thursday, Mrs. May is set to publish details of her plans to
transfer EU law into U.K. law, so that 19,000 laws and regulations
formed over the past four decades will continue to apply to the
U.K. after it leaves the bloc, while allowing Parliament to amend
the laws as it deems necessary.
Within 48 hours of Britain triggering Article 50, Mr. Tusk is
expected to send draft guidelines to the 27 remaining capitals
framing the talks from the EU's side. Those guidelines should be
finally agreed upon at a Brussels summit on April 29.
After that, EU governments and the European Commission, which is
set to lead day-to-day negotiations, will likely take several weeks
to set a detailed negotiating mandate for Michel Barnier, the EU's
Brexit negotiator. Only then, possibly in late May, are
negotiations set to begin in earnest.
"The task before us is momentous but it should not be beyond
us," Mrs. May wrote in her letter. "Together, I know we are capable
of reaching an agreement about the U.K.'s right and obligation as a
departing member state, while establishing a deep and special
partnership that contributes toward the prosperity, security and
global power of our continent."
Jason Douglas contributed to this article
Write to Jenny Gross at jenny.gross@wsj.com and Laurence Norman
at laurence.norman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 29, 2017 10:52 ET (14:52 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.