Acceso usuarios
Adam Lazowski
For the past 40 years the European Communities / European Union have been constantly enlarging to include new Member States. The integration project now involves 27 countries, with further enlargement pencilled in for 2013. However, in some of the EU Member States resentment seems to be growing and talk of withdrawal has become part of the public debate. This is particularly the case in the United Kingdom, which has been in constant discussion about "future relations with Europe" ever since the country joined in 1973. Now that art. 50 TEU (as added by the Treaty of Lisbon) provides a formal withdrawal clause, it is an interesting point at which to take a closer look with regard to the legal framework for departure from the European Union. As this analysis proves, it is not going to be easy for a State to leave the European Union as the levels of legal integration inside the European Union are very high. It is argued that although technically a unilateral withdrawal may be possible, the more likely scenario is a consensual divorce based on a withdrawal agreement. This article looks at various scenarios for both a withdrawal and for future relations of a "divorcee" with the European Union
