View source for Withdrawal from the European Union

{{Short description|Legal process of Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union}}
{{Redirect|Article 50|the former Eurosceptic political party in the Netherlands|Article 50 (political party)}}
{{Distinguish|Withdrawal from the Eurozone|Withdrawal from the Council of Europe}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2017}}
{{Politics of the European Union}}

'''Article 50''' of the [[Treaty on European Union]] (TEU) provides for the possibility of  an [[EU member state]] leaving the [[European Union]] "in accordance with its own constitutional requirements".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lisbon-treaty.org/wcm/the-lisbon-treaty/treaty-on-European-union-and-comments/title-6-final-provisions/137-article-50.html|title=Article 50|publisher=[[Eurostep]]|access-date=23 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625072728/http://www.lisbon-treaty.org/wcm/the-lisbon-treaty/treaty-on-European-union-and-comments/title-6-final-provisions/137-article-50.html|archive-date=25 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Currently, the [[United Kingdom]] is the only state to have withdrawn from membership of the European Union. The process to do so began when the UK Government [[United Kingdom invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union|triggered Article 50]] to begin [[Brexit|the UK's withdrawal from the EU]] on 29 March 2017 following a [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|June 2016 referendum]], and the withdrawal was scheduled in law to occur on 29 March 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/confirmation-of-uk-government-agreement-to-article-50-extension|title=Confirmation of UK Government agreement to Article 50 extension|website=GOV.UK|access-date=22 March 2019|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401192151/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/confirmation-of-uk-government-agreement-to-article-50-extension|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequently, the UK sought, and was granted, a number of Article 50 extensions until 31 January 2020. On 23 January 2020, the [[Brexit withdrawal agreement|withdrawal agreement]] was ratified by the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]], and on 29 January 2020 by the European Parliament. The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 at 23:00 GMT, ending 47 years of membership.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50870939|title=MPs back Johnson's plan to leave EU on 31 January|work=BBC News|date=20 December 2019|access-date=9 August 2020|archive-date=28 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228221730/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50870939|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51287430 |title=Brexit: European Parliament overwhelmingly backs terms of UK's exit |date=29 January 2020 |work=BBC News |access-date=29 January 2020 |archive-date=29 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129175943/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51287430 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Four territories of EU member states have withdrawn: [[French Algeria]] (in 1962, upon [[independence of Algeria|independence]]),<ref>{{cite web|first1=Jacques |last1=Ziller |url=http://www.victoria.ac.nz/law/nzacl/PDFS/SPECIAL%20ISSUES/HORS%20SERIE%20VOL%20VII/05-ziller.pdf |title=The European Union and the Territorial Scope of European Territories |access-date=31 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407064217/http://www.victoria.ac.nz/law/nzacl/PDFS/SPECIAL%20ISSUES/HORS%20SERIE%20VOL%20VII/05-ziller.pdf |archive-date=7 April 2014 }}</ref> [[Greenland]] (in 1985, following [[Withdrawal of Greenland from the European Communities|a referendum]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.eu.dk/faq/faq/greenland|title=What is Greenland's relationship with the EU?|publisher=Folketing|access-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104165916/http://english.eu.dk/faq/faq/greenland|archive-date=4 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] (also in 1985, unilaterally)<ref name="stptm" /> and [[Saint Barthélemy]] (in 2012),<ref name=stbarth>{{cite book|author=Hay, Iain|title=Geographies of the superrich|publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing|year=2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9O94iJw9qG0C&pg=PA196|page=196|access-date=20 January 2015|isbn=978-0-85793-569-4|archive-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625115426/https://books.google.com/books?id=9O94iJw9qG0C&pg=PA196|url-status=live}}</ref> the latter three becoming [[Overseas Countries and Territories]] of the European Union.

== Background ==
The states who were set to accede to the [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|EU in 2004]] pushed for an exit right during the 2002–2003 European Convention. The acceding states wanted the option to exit the EU in the event that EU membership would adversely affect them. During negotiations, eurosceptics in states such as the UK and Denmark subsequently pushed for the creation of Article 50.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Enlargement and exit: The origins of Article 50|journal = European Union Politics|volume = 20|issue = 2|pages = 155–175|last=Huysmans|first=Martijn|date=2019|language=en|doi=10.1177/1465116519830202|hdl = 1874/380979|doi-access=free|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

Article 50, which allows a member state to withdraw, was originally drafted by British [[Crossbencher|cross-bench]] [[peerage|peer]] and former diplomat [[Lord Kerr of Kinlochard]], the secretary-general of the [[Convention on the Future of Europe|European Convention]], which drafted the [[Constitutional Treaty for the European Union]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/article-50-design-dictators-not-uk-eu-european-lisbon-treaty-author-lord-kerr-a7655891.html|title=Article 50 was designed for European dictators, not the UK, says man who wrote it|work=The Independent|date=29 March 2017|quote=Article 50 was designed to be used by a dictatorial regime, not the UK government, the man who wrote it has said. ... As Secretary General of the European Convention in the early 2000s, Lord Kerr played a key role in drafting a constitutional treaty for the EU that included laws on the process by which states can leave the bloc.|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=29 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229205359/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/article-50-design-dictators-not-uk-eu-european-lisbon-treaty-author-lord-kerr-a7655891.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the failure of the ratification process for the European Constitution, the clause was incorporated into the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] which entered into force in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37852628|title=Article 50 author Lord Kerr says Brexit not inevitable|work=BBC News|date=3 November 2016|quote=After leaving the foreign office, he was secretary-general of the European [C]onvention, which drafted what became the Lisbon treaty. It included Article 50 which sets out the process by which any member state can leave the EU.|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-date=25 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325154559/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37852628|url-status=live}}</ref>

Prior to this, no provision in the [[Treaties of the European Union|treaties]] or [[Law of the European Union|law]] of the EU outlined the ability of a state to voluntarily withdraw from the EU. The absence of such a provision made withdrawal technically difficult but not impossible.<ref name="expel" /> Legally there were two interpretations of whether a state could leave. The first, that sovereign states have a right to withdraw from their international commitments;<ref>{{cite book |last=Hurd |first=Ian |date=2013 |title=International Organizations: Politics, Law, Practice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cROAAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA10 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=10 |isbn=978-1-107-04097-7 |access-date=5 December 2020 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413152634/https://books.google.com/books?id=cROAAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA10 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the second, the treaties are for an unlimited period, with no provision for withdrawal and calling for an "ever closer union" – such commitment to unification is incompatible with a unilateral withdrawal. The [[Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties]] states where a party wants to withdraw unilaterally from a treaty that is silent on such procedure, there are only two cases where withdrawal is allowed: where all parties recognise an informal right to do so and where the situation has changed so drastically, that the obligations of a signatory have been radically transformed.<ref name="expel" />

== Procedure ==
{{Wikisource|Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union/Title VI: Final Provisions#Article 50|The Withdrawal Clause}}
Article 50 of the [[Treaty on European Union]], enacted by the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] on 1 December 2009, introduced for the first time a procedure for a member state to withdraw voluntarily from the EU.<ref name="expel">{{cite journal|last1=Athanassiou|first1=Phoebus|title=Withdrawal and Expulsion from the EU and EMU: Some Reflections|journal=Legal Working Paper Series|number=10|date=December 2009|publisher=European Central Bank|page=9|url=http://www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/scplps/ecblwp10.pdf|access-date=19 February 2013|issn=1830-2696|archive-date=20 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120184437/http://www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/scplps/ecblwp10.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The article states that:<ref>{{cite web|title=Consolidated Version of the Treaty on European Union|publisher=[[HM Government]]|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228848/7310.pdf#page=40|format=PDF|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=19 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119215116/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/228848/7310.pdf#page=40|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{blockquote|

# Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own [[constitutional law|constitutional requirements]].
# A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the [[European Council]] of its intention. In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union. That agreement shall be negotiated in accordance with Article 218(3)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT&from=EN|title=page 99 of 344|access-date=6 November 2021|archive-date=23 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923164004/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX%3A12012E%2FTXT&from=EN|url-status=live}}</ref> of the [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]]. It shall be concluded on behalf of the Union by the [[Council of the European Union|Council [of the European Union]]], acting by a qualified majority, after obtaining the consent of the [[European Parliament]].
# The Treaties shall cease to apply to the State in question from the date of entry into force of the withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification referred to in paragraph 2, unless the European Council, in agreement with the Member State concerned, unanimously decides to extend this period.
# For the purposes of paragraphs 2 and 3, the member of the European Council or of the Council representing the withdrawing Member State shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it. <p>A qualified majority shall be defined in accordance with Article 238(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.</p>
# If a State which has withdrawn from the Union asks to rejoin, its request shall be subject to the procedure referred to in Article 49.}}

This provision does not cover certain overseas territories which under [[s:Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union/Part Seven: General and Final Provisions#Article 355|TFEU Article 355]] do not require a full treaty revision.<ref>Instead, the European Council may, on the initiative of the member state concerned, change the status of an [[overseas countries and territories|overseas country or territory]] (OCT) to an [[outermost region]] (OMR) or vice versa.</ref>

=== Invocation ===
Thus, once a member state has notified the [[European Council]] of its intention to leave, a period begins during which a withdrawal agreement is negotiated, setting out the arrangements for the withdrawal and outlining the country's future relationship with the Union. Commencing the process is up to the member state that intends to leave.

The article allows for a negotiated withdrawal, due to the complexities of leaving the EU. However, it does include in it a strong implication of a unilateral right to withdraw. This is through the fact that a state would decide to withdraw "in accordance with its own constitutional requirements" and that the end of the treaties' application in a member state that intends to withdraw is not dependent on any agreement being reached (it would occur after two years regardless).<ref name="expel" />

=== Negotiation ===
The treaties cease to apply to the member state concerned on the entry into force of the withdrawal agreement or, in the absence of such an agreement, two years after the member state notified the European Council of its intention to leave, although this period can be extended by unanimous agreement of the European Council.<ref>[[s:Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union/Title VI: Final Provisions#Article 50|Article 50(3) of the Treaty on European Union]].</ref>

The leaving agreement is negotiated on behalf of the EU by the [[European Commission]] on the basis of a mandate given by the remaining Member States, meeting in the [[Council of the European Union]]. It must set out the arrangements for withdrawal, taking account of the framework for the member state's future relationship with the EU, though without itself settling that framework. The agreement is to be approved on the EU side by the Council of the EU, acting by [[Voting in the Council of the European Union|qualified majority]], after obtaining the consent of the [[European Parliament]]. For the agreement to pass the Council of the EU it needs to be approved by at least 72 percent of the continuing member states representing at least 65 percent of their population.<ref name="constunit">{{cite web|url=https://constitution-unit.com/2016/01/19/what-happens-if-we-vote-for-brexit/|title=What happens if we vote for Brexit?|last=Renwick|first=Alan|date=19 January 2016|website=The Constitution Unit Blog|access-date=14 May 2016|archive-date=31 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731162921/https://constitution-unit.com/2016/01/19/what-happens-if-we-vote-for-brexit/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The agreement is concluded on behalf of the Union by the council and must set out the arrangements for withdrawal, including a framework for the State's future relationship with the Union, negotiated in accordance with [[s:Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union/Part Five: External Action by the Union#Article 218|Article 218(3)]] of the [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]]. The agreement is to be approved by the council, acting by [[Voting in the Council of the European Union|qualified majority]], after obtaining the consent of the [[European Parliament]]. Should a former member state seek to rejoin the European Union, it would be subject to the same conditions as any other applicant country.<ref>Article 50(4) of Lisbon Treaty which cites Article 49 Accession process</ref>

Remaining members of the EU would need to manage consequential changes over the [[EU's budget]]s, voting allocations and policies brought about by the withdrawal of any member state.<ref name="Oliver">{{cite web|last=Oliver|first=Tim|title=Europe without Britain: Assessing the Impact on the European Union of a British Withdrawal|url=http://www.swp-berlin.org/en/publications/swp-research-papers/swp-research-paper-detail/article/europe_without_britain.html|publisher=Stiftung Wissenshaft und Politik|access-date=1 March 2014|archive-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207155806/http://www.swp-berlin.org/en/publications/swp-research-papers/swp-research-paper-detail/article/europe_without_britain.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Failure of negotiations ===
This system provides for a negotiated withdrawal, rather than an abrupt exit from the Union. This preference for a negotiated withdrawal is based on the expected complexities of leaving the EU (including concerning the [[euro]]) when so much European law is codified in member states' laws. However, the process of Article 50 also includes a strong implication of unilateral right to withdraw. This is through the fact the state would decide "in accordance with its own constitutional requirements" and that the end of the treaties' application in said state is not dependent on any agreement being reached (it would occur after two years regardless).<ref name="expel" /> In other words, the European Union can not ''block'' a member state from leaving.

If negotiations do not result in a ratified agreement, the withdrawing country leaves without an agreement, and the EU Treaties shall cease to apply to the withdrawing country, without any substitute or transitional arrangements being put in place. As regards trade, the parties would likely follow [[World Trade Organization]] rules on [[tariffs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/what-would-brexit-mean-for-british-trade/|title=What will Brexit mean for British trade?|work=Telegraph.co.uk|date=24 February 2017 |access-date=2 April 2017|archive-date=30 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330053124/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/what-would-brexit-mean-for-british-trade/|url-status=live |last1=Foster |first1=Peter |last2=Kirkup |first2=James }}</ref>

=== Re-entry or unilateral revocation ===
Article 50 does not spell out whether member states can rescind their notification of their intention to withdraw during the negotiation period while their country is still a member of the European Union. However, the president of the European Council said to the European Parliament on 24 October 2017 that “deal, no deal or no Brexit” is up to Britain. Indeed, the prevailing legal opinion among EU law experts and the EU institutions themselves is that a member state intending to leave may change its mind, as an “intention” is not yet a deed and intentions can change before the deed is done.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richardcorbett.org.uk/not-passed-point-no-return/|title=We have not passed the point of no return – Richard Corbett|date=26 April 2017|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107020644/http://www.richardcorbett.org.uk/not-passed-point-no-return/|url-status=live}}</ref> Until the Scottish Government did so in late 2018, the issue had been untested in court. On 10 December 2018, the [[European Court of Justice]] ruled that it would be “inconsistent with the EU treaties’ purpose of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe to force the withdrawal of a member state” against its wishes, and that consequently an Article 50 notification may be revoked unilaterally by the notifying member without the permission of the other EU members, provided the state has not already left the EU, and provided the revocation is decided “following a democratic process in accordance with national constitutional requirements”.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-court-case-ecj-ruling-article-50-theresa-may-deal-uk-european-court-justice-latest-a8675541.html UK can cancel Brexit by unilaterally revoking Article 50, European Court of Justice rules] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211055323/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-court-case-ecj-ruling-article-50-theresa-may-deal-uk-european-court-justice-latest-a8675541.html |date=11 December 2018 }}, The Independent, 10 December 2018. "The court said any revocation must be decided “following a democratic process in accordance with national constitutional requirements”.</ref><ref name=IT2018-12-10a>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/brexit-uk-can-revoke-article-50-european-court-rules-1.3726021|title=Brexit: UK can revoke Article 50, European court rules|author=Patrick Smyth|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=22 January 2019|date=10 December 2018|quote=In Monday’s judgment, the full court has ruled that when a member state has notified the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the European Union, that member state is free to revoke unilaterally that notification. That possibility exists for as long as a withdrawal agreement concluded between the EU and that member state has not entered into force or, if no such agreement has been concluded, for as long as the two-year period from the date of the notification of the intention to withdraw from the EU, and any possible extension, has not expired.|archive-date=22 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122044119/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/brexit-uk-can-revoke-article-50-european-court-rules-1.3726021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2018-12/cp180191en.pdf|title=Judgment in Case C-621/18 Press and Information Wightman and Others v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union(press release)|website=Court of Justice of the European Union|date=10 December 2018|access-date=11 December 2018|quote=The United Kingdom is free to revoke unilaterally the notification of its intention to withdraw from the EU|archive-date=12 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612165315/https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2018-12/cp180191en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The European Parliament resolution of 5 April 2017 (on negotiations with the United Kingdom following its notification that it intends to withdraw from the European Union) states, "a revocation of notification needs to be subject to conditions set by all EU-27,{{efn|In this context, EU-27 means the 27 European Union countries involved in Brexit negotiations with the UK; in other words, the EU (as of 2017) except for the United Kingdom. Historically, EU-27 was used as shorthand for the membership prior to the accession of Croatia.}} so that it cannot be used as a procedural device or abused in an attempt to improve on the current terms of the United Kingdom’s membership."<ref name="Text adopted by EU parliament">{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P8-TA-2017-0102+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN|title=European Parliament resolution of 5 April 2017 on negotiations with the United Kingdom following its notification that it intends to withdraw from the European Union, paragraph L|date=5 April 2017|publisher=European Parliament|access-date=6 November 2021|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326202711/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FTEXT+TA+P8-TA-2017-0102+0+DOC+XML+V0%2F%2FEN|url-status=live}}</ref> The European Union Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs has stated that a hypothetical right of revocation can only be examined and confirmed or infirmed by the EU institution competent to this purpose, namely the [[Court of Justice of the European Union|CJEU]].<ref name="Revocability of the withdrawal notification">{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2018/596820/IPOL_IDA(2018)596820_EN.pdf|title=The (ir-)revocability of the withdrawal notification under Article 50 TEU – Conclusions|date=March 2018|publisher=The European Union Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs|access-date=21 September 2018|archive-date=5 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005221102/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2018/596820/IPOL_IDA(2018)596820_EN.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition the European Commission considers that Article 50 does not provide for the unilateral withdrawal of the notification.<ref name="EU Commission Press Release">{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-17-2001_en.htm|title=State of play of Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom|date=12 July 2017|publisher=The European Commission|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-date=16 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716051309/http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-17-2001_en.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
Lord Kerr, the British author of Article 50, also considers the process is reversible<ref name="independent">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/article-50-brexit-eu-negotiator-michel-barnier-stop-theresa-may-withdrawing-latest-a7673596.html|title=Chief EU negotiator pushing to ensure Britain can't pull back from two-year Brexit process|date=8 April 2017|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228070419/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/article-50-brexit-eu-negotiator-michel-barnier-stop-theresa-may-withdrawing-latest-a7673596.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  as does Jens Dammann.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Dammann | first = Jens | title = Revoking Brexit: Can member states rescind their declaration of withdrawal from the European Union? | journal = [[Columbia Journal of European Law]] | volume = 23 | issue = 2 | pages = 265–304 | publisher = Columbia Law School | ssrn = 2947276 | date =Spring 2017 | access-date = 5 April 2017 | url = https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/coljeul23&div=13&id=&page= | archive-date = 9 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200809142923/https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals%2Fcoljeul23&div=13&id=&page= | url-status = live }} [http://cjel.law.columbia.edu/preliminary-reference/2017/revoking-brexit-can-member-states-rescind-their-declaration-of-withdrawal-from-the-european-union Preview.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225171809/http://cjel.law.columbia.edu/preliminary-reference/2017/revoking-brexit-can-member-states-rescind-their-declaration-of-withdrawal-from-the-european-union/ |date=25 December 2017 }}</ref> Professor Stephen Weatherill disagrees.<ref name="EU Law Analysis">{{cite web|url= http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/01/can-article-50-notice-of-withdrawal.html|title= EU Law Analysis – Expert insight into EU law developments – Can an Article 50 notice of withdrawal from the EU be unilaterally revoked?|date= 16 January 2018|publisher= University of Essex|access-date= 20 September 2018|archive-date= 20 September 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180920234450/http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/01/can-article-50-notice-of-withdrawal.html|url-status= live}}</ref> Former [[Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union|Brexit Secretary]] [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]] has stated that the British Government "does not know for sure" whether Article 50 is revocable; the British prime minister [then [[Theresa May]]] "does not intend" to reverse it.<ref name="independent" />

Extension of the two years time from notification to exit from the union, still requires unanimous support from all member countries, that is clearly stated in Article 50(3).

Should a former member state seek to rejoin the European Union after having actually left, it would be subject to the same conditions as any other applicant country and need to negotiate a Treaty of Accession, ratified by every member state.<ref>Article 50(4) of Lisbon Treaty, which cites Article 49 accession process.</ref>

== Outermost regions ==
[[s:Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union/Part Seven: General and Final Provisions#Article 355|TFEU Article 355]](6), introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon allows the status of French, Dutch and Danish overseas territories to be changed more easily, by no longer requiring a full treaty revision. Instead, the European Council may, on the initiative of the member state concerned, change the status of an [[overseas countries and territories|overseas country or territory]] (OCT) to an [[outermost region]] (OMR) or vice versa.<ref>The provision reads:

{{blockquote|"6. The European Council may, on the initiative of the Member State concerned, adopt a decision amending the status, with regard to the Union, of a Danish, French or Netherlands country or territory referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2. The European Council shall act unanimously after consulting the Commission."||[http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/cg00014.en07.pdf Treaty of Lisbon] Article 2, point 293}}</ref>

== Withdrawals ==
Some former territories of European Union members broke formal links with the EU when they gained independence from their ruling country or were transferred to an EU non-member state. Most of [[Special Member State territories and the European Union#Former special territories|these territories]] were not classed as part of the EU, but were at most associated with [[Overseas Countries and Territories|OCT]] status, and [[EC law]]s were generally not in force in these countries.

Some current territories changed or are in the process of changing their status so that, instead of EU law applying fully or with limited exceptions, EU law mostly will not apply. The process also occurs in the opposite direction, as formal [[Enlargement of the European Union#Detail|enlargements]] of the union occur. The procedure for implementing such changes was made easier by the [[Treaty of Lisbon#Enlargement and withdrawal procedure|Treaty of Lisbon]].

=== Past withdrawals ===
==== Territories ====

===== Algeria =====
[[French Algeria|Algeria]] joined the [[European Communities]] as an integral part of the [[French Republic]], since legally it was not an [[Overseas territory (France)|overseas territory of France]] but rather one of its [[Overseas departments and regions of France|overseas departments]]. Upon [[Algerian War|its independence]] in 1962, Algeria ceased to be part of France. However, the implications of Algeria's independence on its relationship with the [[European Economic Community|EEC]] was legally unresolved, since the [[Treaty of Rome]], which explicitly referred to Algeria by name as subject to the treaty's provisions, was not immediately amended.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 November 1962 |title=TRAITÉ instituant la Communauté Économique Européenne et documents annexes |trans-title=Treaty establishing the European Economic Community |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:11957E/TXT |quote="En ce qui concerne l'Algérie et les départements français d'outie-mer, les dispositions particulières et générale* du présent Traité relatives ... sont applicables dès l'entrée en vigueur du présent Traité. ," |trans-quote="With regard to Algeria and the French overseas departments, the specific and general provisions* of this Treaty relating to ... shall apply from the entry into force of this Treaty."}}</ref> In 1976 a bilateral treaty was agreed to between Algeria and the EEC which formalized the EEC's relationship with Algeria as a neighbouring state in association with the Community, and not a part of the Community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Europe once stretched into Algeria {{!}} Politics & Society |url=https://bfna.org/politics-society/europe-once-stretched-into-algeria-3dhnk140o8/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Europe once stretched into Algeria {{!}} Politics & Society |quote="Algeria's membership of the EEC ended in 1976 with a newly negotiated relationship "}}</ref>

===== Greenland =====
{{Main|Withdrawal of Greenland from the European Communities}}
[[Greenland]] chose to leave the [[European Communities|EU predecessor]] without separating from Denmark. It initially voted against joining the EEC when [[Denmark]] joined in 1973, but because Denmark as a whole voted to join, [[County of Greenland, Denmark|Greenland, as a county of Denmark]], joined too. When [[home rule]] for Greenland began in 1979, it held a new [[1982 Greenlandic European Communities membership referendum|referendum]] and voted to leave the EEC. After wrangling over fishing rights, the territory left the EEC in 1985,<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E7DE103BF937A35751C0A963948260 "Greenland Out of E.E.C.,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313010548/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E7DE103BF937A35751C0A963948260 |date=13 March 2007 }} ''New York Times'' (4 February 1985)</ref> but remains subject to the EU treaties through [[Overseas Countries and Territories|association of Overseas Countries and Territories]] with the EU. This was permitted by the [[Greenland Treaty]], a special treaty signed in 1984 to allow its withdrawal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/droit_communautaire/droit_communautaire.htm|title=European law mentioning Greenland Treaty|access-date=21 October 2009|archive-date=15 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015061308/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/droit_communautaire/droit_communautaire.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===== Saint Pierre and Miquelon =====
[[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]], a territory of France, used to be part of the EU but left on 11 June 1985.<ref name="stptm">{{cite news|url=https://globalhistory.org.uk/2020/08/exits-before-brexit-sub-state-separations-from-the-european-union-1962-2012|title=Exits before Brexit: Sub-State Separations from the European Union, 1962–2012|first=Curtis|last=Large|publisher=Scottish Centre for Global History|date=25 August 2020|access-date=16 October 2021|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016111604/https://globalhistory.org.uk/2020/08/exits-before-brexit-sub-state-separations-from-the-european-union-1962-2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

===== Saint Barthélemy =====
[[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]] and [[Saint-Barthélemy]] in 2007 [[Politics of Guadeloupe|separated from Guadeloupe]] ([[overseas department]] of France and [[outermost region]] (OMR) of the EU) and became [[overseas collectivity|overseas collectivities]] of France, but at the same time remained OMRs of the European Union. Later, the elected representatives of the island of Saint-Barthélemy expressed a desire to "obtain a European status which would be better suited to its status under domestic law, particularly given its [[remote and isolated community|remoteness]] from [[mainland France|the mainland]], its small insular economy largely devoted to [[tourism]] and subject to difficulties in obtaining supplies which hamper the application of some [[European Union law|European Union standards]]." France, reflecting this desire, requested at the [[European Council]] to change the status of Saint Barthélemy to an [[Overseas Countries and Territories|overseas country or territory]] (OCT) associated with the European Union.<ref name="StBarthelemey">{{Cite web|url=http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/10/st15/st15224.en10.pdf|title=Draft European Council Decision on amendment of the European status of the island of Saint-Barthélemy – adoption|access-date=27 October 2010|archive-date=26 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226134501/http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/10/st15/st15224.en10.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The status change came into effect from 1 January 2012.<ref name="StBarthelemey" />

==== Member states ====
===== United Kingdom =====
{{Main|Brexit|United Kingdom invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union|Brexit negotiations}}
[[File:Prime Ministers letter to European Council President Donald Tusk.pdf|thumb|200px|Letter from [[Theresa May]] invoking Article 50]]

The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020, following on a public vote held in June 2016.<ref name="bbc-define">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32810887 |title=Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU |work=BBC News |first1=Alex |last1=Hunt |first2=Brian |last2=Wheeler |date=3 November 2016 |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-date=22 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150522073542/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32810887 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the country benefited from a transition period to give time to [[Trade negotiation between the UK and the EU|negotiate a trade deal between the UK and the EU]].

The [[Second Cameron ministry|British government led by David Cameron]] held a [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|referendum on the issue in 2016]]; the electorate decided by a 3.8% majority to favour leaving the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results|title=EU Referendum Results|website=BBC News|access-date=23 December 2019|archive-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624000307/http://www.bbc.com/news/politics/eu_referendum/results|url-status=live}}</ref> On 29 March 2017, arising from a decision by the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]], Prime Minister [[Theresa May]] [[United Kingdom invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union|invoked Article 50]] in a letter to the [[president of the European Council]], [[Donald Tusk]]. The UK ceased to be an EU member state as from 00:00, 1 February 2020 [[Central European Time]] ([[UTC+1]]) (23:00, 31 January 2020 [[Western European Time]] ([[GMT]], [[UTC+0]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7960|title=House of Commons Briefing Paper 7960, summary|website=House of Commons|date=6 February 2019|access-date=16 February 2019|archive-date=16 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216153321/https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7960|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the [[Parliamentary votes on Brexit|UK Parliament's decisions]] not to ratify the [[Brexit withdrawal agreement]] negotiated between the European Council and the UK government, several extensions of the deadline were agreed.

Following a decisive [[2019 United Kingdom general election|election victory]] for Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]] and the Conservative Party in December 2019, the UK Parliament ratified the [[European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020]], approving the terms of withdrawal as formally agreed between the UK government and the EU Commission. After the [[European Parliament]] ratified the agreement on 29 January, the United Kingdom withdrew from the [[European Union]] at 23:00 London time (GMT) on 31 January 2020, with a withdrawal agreement in place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/advice-for-british-nationals-travelling-and-living-in-europe|title=Advice for British nationals travelling and living in Europe|date=19 January 2017|website=British Government Website|publisher=The U.K. Government|access-date=25 January 2017|archive-date=2 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202051029/https://www.gov.uk/guidance/advice-for-british-nationals-travelling-and-living-in-europe|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Advocates in other countries for withdrawal ===
{{See also|Euroscepticism}}
Several states have political parties represented in national assemblies or the [[European Parliament]] that advocate withdrawal from the EU.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/brussels-fear-of-the-true-finns-rise-of-populist-parties-pushes-europe-to-the-right-a-758883.html "Brussels' Fear of the True Finns: Rise of Populist Parties Pushes Europe to the Right,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327222435/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/brussels-fear-of-the-true-finns-rise-of-populist-parties-pushes-europe-to-the-right-a-758883.html |date=27 March 2013 }} Spiegel (25 April 2011).</ref>

As of 2024, no country other than the United Kingdom has voted on whether to withdraw from the EU. Political parties criticizing the federative trend of the European Union and advocating withdrawal have gained prominence in several member states since the [[2014 European Parliament election|European Parliament election in 2014]], similarly to the rise of [[UKIP]] in the United Kingdom. The EU Exit Index, which measures the risk of member states leaving the EU, shows that the UK was a clear outlier and no other state is likely to leave the EU in the foreseeable future.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gastinger|first=Markus|date=2021|title=Introducing the EU exit index measuring each member state's propensity to leave the European Union|journal=European Union Politics|volume=22|issue=3|pages=566–585|language=en|doi=10.1177/14651165211000138|issn=1465-1165|doi-access=free|hdl=1814/71216|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

====Bulgaria====
In Bulgaria, the far-right [[Revival (Bulgarian political party)|Revival]] party, and third largest party in the [[National Assembly (Bulgaria)|National Assembly]] as of 2023, supports either "renegotiation" for special status within the EU, or withdrawal.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Simeonova |first1=Elitsa |last2=Wesolowsky |first2=Tony |title=Revival On The Rise: Ahead Of Elections, Far-Right Party Is Tapping Into Bulgarian Public Anger |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/bulgaria-elections-revival-pro-russian/32060748.html |website=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |date=October 2022 |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref> Additionally, other smaller non-parliamentary parties, mostly from the coalition [[Neutral Bulgaria]] support withdrawal, such as [[Attack (political party)|Attack]] who called the politicians who signed the treaty to join the EU "traitors."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.right-world.net/en/news/2829|title=Top Bulgarian Nationalist Presents B-day Gifts to Putin}}</ref>

==== Czechia ====
{{Main|Euroscepticism in the Czech Republic}}
In Czechia, the far-right [[Freedom and Direct Democracy]] opposes Czech membership of the European Union.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33147247 |title=France's Le Pen announces far-right bloc of anti-EU MEPs |work=BBC News |date=16 June 2015 |access-date=3 July 2016 |archive-date=18 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160718100531/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33147247 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Denmark (Dexit-Danexit)====
{{Main|Danish withdrawal from the European Union}}
In the [[Folketinget|Danish Parliament]], the national conservative [[New Right (Denmark)|New Right]] party opposes Denmark's membership in the EU.<ref>[https://nyeborgerlige.dk/politik/eu-politik/ EU Policy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208131140/https://nyeborgerlige.dk/politik/eu-politik/ |date=8 February 2020 }}, Nye Borgerlige (in Danish)</ref> The ideologically similar [[Danish People's Party]] in principle opposes EU membership, but has since 2001 in practice supported pro-EU right-wing coalitions. The party's support of the [[European Single Market|common market]] and opt-in/opt-out solutions was reflected in the slogan ''Mere Danmark, mindre EU'' ("More Denmark, less EU"). In 2020, the party proclaimed a strengthening of its anti-EU stance.<ref>[https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/kristian-thulesen-dahl-dansk-folkeparti-er-modstandere-af-eu Kristian Thulesen Dahl: The Danish People's Party are EU opponents] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323125721/https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/kristian-thulesen-dahl-dansk-folkeparti-er-modstandere-af-eu |date=23 March 2021 }}, Danmarks Radio, 5 June 2020 (in Danish)</ref> The left-wing [[Red-Green Alliance (Denmark)|Red Green Alliance]] which is the 3rd largest party in the country, still officially opposes EU membership,<ref>[https://enhedslisten.dk/programmer/delprogram-det-mener-enhedslisten-om-eu Subprogramme: This is the Unity List's view of the EU] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413152723/https://enhedslisten.dk/programmer/delprogram-det-mener-enhedslisten-om-eu |date=13 April 2021 }}, as approved on the 2016 party congress, Unity List (in Danish)</ref> but its members are divided on the issue.

In the European Parliament, the Danish [[People's Movement against the EU]] was represented from the first direct elections in 1979  until 2019. The Unity List is a [[collective member]] of The People's Movement and used to only participate in European Elections as candidates for The People's Movement. At the [[2019 European Parliament election in Denmark|2019 EP Election]] the Unity List participated independently and gained a seat, in an electoral alliance with The People's Movement who lost their seat. Former MEP for The People's Movement [[Rina Ronja Kari]] resigned her personal membership of the Unity List.

Opinion polls have mostly shown that Danes are pro EU membership, but [[eurosceptic]]. A 2018 opinion poll suggested that while a minority of Danes wanted withdrawal (12% "to a high degree" and 16% "to some degree"), a large majority were against abolishing the opt-outs (57 % against and 22 % for the euro; 42 % against and 30 % for defense cooperation; 47 % against and 22 % for judicial cooperation).<ref>[http://thinkeuropa.dk/sites/default/files/notat_store_forskelle_i_danskernes_eu-holdninger.pdf Large differences among EU stances of Danes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413152617/http://thinkeuropa.dk/sites/default/files/notat_store_forskelle_i_danskernes_eu-holdninger.pdf |date=13 April 2021 }}, Think Tank Europe, 23 August 2018 (in Danish)</ref> A 2019 opinion poll showed that 37 % of voters of the New Right wanted withdrawal and other 50 % were eurosceptic ("remain in the EU, but the EU should have less influence on Danish conditions"). Among voters of the Danish People's party, the numbers were 18% and 57%, and of the Unity List, 11% and 42%, respectively. In all other parties, withdrawal was supported by 5% of voters or less, but there was substantial euroscepticism (between 26 and 32%), although less among voters of the [[Radikale Venstre|Social Liberal Party]] (15%) and [[Alternativet|The Alternative]] (20%).<ref>[https://www.altinget.dk/artikel/178869-danskerne-rykker-mod-midten-i-eu-politikken New opinion poll: Danes want to remain in the EU, but don't want to skip opt-outs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413152607/https://www.altinget.dk/artikel/178869-danskerne-rykker-mod-midten-i-eu-politikken|date=13 April 2021}}, [[Altinget]], 28 January 2019</ref>

Occasionally, polls about a choice between the EU and a Nordic cooperation have shown equally divided support; a 2020 poll showed 39% support for each alternative.<ref>[https://www.folkebevaegelsen.dk/folkebevaegelsen-mod-eu-repraesentativ-maaling-viser-danskerne-delte-i-spoergsmaalet-om-eu-medlemskab/ People's Movement against the EU: A representative poll shows Danes divided in the question of EU membership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227000719/https://www.folkebevaegelsen.dk/folkebevaegelsen-mod-eu-repraesentativ-maaling-viser-danskerne-delte-i-spoergsmaalet-om-eu-medlemskab/ |date=27 February 2021 }}, People's Movement against the EU, 8 April 2020 (in Danish)<br />The poll question was: ''If a Nordic cooperation could be established, consisting of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden with common policies within a great number of issues, e.g. environment, judicial and foreign policy, as well as trade agreements with the EU and other countries – and you had the choice between Denmark participating in the Nordic cooperation or be a member of the EU. Then what would you vote for?''</ref> In a 2019 poll, the same question showed 42.7% support for the Nordic option and 40.5% for the EU option.<ref>[https://arbejderen.dk/indland/flest-danskere-ønsker-nordisk-forbund-fremfor-eu-medlemskab Most Danes want Nordic cooperation before EU membership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413152617/https://arbejderen.dk/indland/flest-danskere-%C3%B8nsker-nordisk-forbund-fremfor-eu-medlemskab |date=13 April 2021 }}, [[Arbejderen]], 26 April 2019 (in Danish)</ref>

==== Finland ====
In Finland, the [[Finns Party]] says the country should leave the EU should it become a [[Federalisation of the European Union|European Federation]],<ref name="ciac">{{cite news|url=http://www.nsd.uib.no/european_election_database/country/finland/parties.html|title=Political parties|work=CivicActive|access-date=13 March 2010|archive-date=14 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714124648/http://www.nsd.uib.no/european_election_database/country/finland/parties.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Economist">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/04/17/the-right-wing-finns-party-does-well-in-finlands-election|title=The right-wing Finns Party does well in Finland's election|date=17 April 2019|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=12 September 2019|archive-date=25 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825094655/https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/04/17/the-right-wing-finns-party-does-well-in-finlands-election|url-status=live}}</ref> a proposal which was not being considered at European level.

==== France (Frexit)====
{{Main|Frexit}}
Until 2018, the far-right [[National Rally]] advocated for France to leave the EU. However, shortly after the party's renaming (from {{lang|fr|Front National}}), the party leader [[Marine Le Pen]] ruled out that policy, proposing instead to focus on changing the European Union's institutions.<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 January 2021|title=Après l'euro et le Frexit, nouveau revirement européen de Marine Le Pen|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/marine-le-pen-ne-veut-plus-suspendre-les-accords-de-schengen_fr_60141c35c5b653f644d31836|access-date=11 February 2021|website=Le HuffPost|language=fr|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221213040/https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/marine-le-pen-ne-veut-plus-suspendre-les-accords-de-schengen_fr_60141c35c5b653f644d31836|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Marine Le Pen n'envisage plus de suspendre les accords de Schengen|url=https://www.20minutes.fr/politique/2965123-20210129-marine-pen-envisage-plus-suspendre-accords-schengen|access-date=11 February 2021|website=www.20minutes.fr|date=29 January 2021 |language=fr|archive-date=19 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219183354/https://www.20minutes.fr/politique/2965123-20210129-marine-pen-envisage-plus-suspendre-accords-schengen|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Popular Republican Union (2007)|Popular Republican Union]] and [[The Patriots (France)|The Patriots]] party support France leaving the EU.

==== Greece ====
{{See also|Greek withdrawal from the eurozone}}
In Greece, [[Greek Solution]] is campaigning for a withdrawal, as was [[Golden Dawn (political party)|Golden Dawn]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xryshaygh.com/index.php/kinima/thesis|publisher=Golden Dawn|language=el|script-title=el:Πολιτικές Θέσεις|access-date=3 November 2013|archive-date=4 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104093649/http://xryshaygh.com/index.php/kinima/thesis|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="euroscepticism">{{cite web|url=http://www.opendemocracy.net/christos-papanikolaou/in-crisis-ridden-europe-euroscepticism-is-new-cultural-trend|title=In crisis-ridden Europe, euroscepticism is the new cultural trend|date=10 October 2012|access-date=25 October 2013|archive-date=4 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204065453/http://www.opendemocracy.net/christos-papanikolaou/in-crisis-ridden-europe-euroscepticism-is-new-cultural-trend|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Hungary (Huxit)====
{{Main|Hungarian withdrawal from the European Union}}
As a result of the approval of [[Hungarian anti-LGBT law|an anti-LGBT law]], it has been suggested that Hungary should leave the EU.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/dutch-leader-challenges-hungary-to-leave-the-eu-over-lgbtq-spat|title=Dutch leader challenges Hungary to leave EU over LGBTQ spat|first1=Maria|last1=Tadeo|first2=Chiara|last2=Albanese|newspaper=[[Bloomberg News]]|date=24 June 2021|access-date=16 October 2021|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016102933/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-24/dutch-leader-challenges-hungary-to-leave-the-eu-over-lgbtq-spat|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/respect-lgbt-rights-or-leave-eu-hungarys-orban-told-2021-06-25/|title=EU to Hungary's Orbán: Respect LGBT rights or leave|first=Gabriela|last=Baczynska|newspaper=[[Reuters]]|date=25 June 2021|access-date=16 October 2021|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016102933/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/respect-lgbt-rights-or-leave-eu-hungarys-orban-told-2021-06-25/|url-status=live}}</ref> Currently, [[Our Homeland Movement]] is the only party that has proposed doing so through a referendum.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.szabadeuropa.hu/a/eu-magyarorszag-brusszel-kilepes-hunxit/30990085.html|title=Ki tudná léptetni a kormány Magyarországot az EU-ból?|newspaper=Szabad Európa|date=8 December 2020|language=hu|access-date=16 October 2021|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016102933/https://www.szabadeuropa.hu/a/eu-magyarorszag-brusszel-kilepes-hunxit/30990085.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Italy (Italexit)====
In July 2020, Italian journalist and senator [[Gianluigi Paragone]] formed [[Italexit (political party)|Italexit]], a new political party with a main goal to withdraw Italy from the European Union.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Amante | first1=Angelo | title=Italexit! Popular senator launches party to take Italy out of EU | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-politics-italexit/italexit-popular-senator-launches-party-to-take-italy-out-of-eu-idUSKCN24M1N8 | date=21 July 2020 | work=[[Reuters]] | access-date=21 July 2020 | archive-date=21 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721171713/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-politics-italexit/italexit-popular-senator-launches-party-to-take-italy-out-of-eu-idUSKCN24M1N8 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Netherlands (Nexit)====
{{Main|Dutch withdrawal from the European Union}}
In the Netherlands, the main party advocating for a withdrawal is [[Forum for Democracy]], additionally [[Party for Freedom]] also supports a withdrawal from the European Union.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nos.nl/artikel/390859-pvv-nederland-moet-uit-eu.html |title=PVV: Nederland moet uit EU. (The Netherlands should get out of the EU) |publisher=Nos.nl |date=3 July 2012 |access-date=15 January 2014 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102828/http://nos.nl/artikel/390859-pvv-nederland-moet-uit-eu.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Poland (Polexit)====
{{Main|Polexit}}
In Poland, the far-right party [[Confederation Liberty and Independence]] is against the membership of the country in the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 December 2018|title="Łączy nas Polexit". Narodowcy i Korwin-Mikke łączą siły przed wyborami do PE|url=https://www.dorzeczy.pl/kraj/86059/laczy-nas-polexit-narodowcy-i-korwin-mikke-lacza-sily-przed-wyborami-do-pe.html|access-date=30 September 2020|website=Do Rzeczy|language=pl|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929044940/https://dorzeczy.pl/kraj/86059/laczy-nas-polexit-narodowcy-i-korwin-mikke-lacza-sily-przed-wyborami-do-pe.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the [[2023 Polish parliamentary election]], the party has eighteen (out of 460) members of the [[Sejm]], zero members of the Senate, zero members of the European Parliament and one member of a Regional Assembly - this being an increase of seven members in the Sejm and one in regional assemblies since the previous [[2019 Polish parliamentary election|election]].

==== Romania (Roexit)====
{{Main|Romanian withdrawal from the European Union}}
In Romania, the small right-wing party [[Noua Dreaptă]] opposes Romania's membership of the European Union and [[NATO]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://moldova.europalibera.org/a/intre-legionarism-deghizat-si-nationalism-autoritar/29121256.html|title=Între legionarism deghizat și naționalism-autoritar|first=William|last=Totok|newspaper=Radio Europa Liberă Moldova|date=25 March 2018|language=ro|access-date=13 September 2020|archive-date=19 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019182815/https://moldova.europalibera.org/a/intre-legionarism-deghizat-si-nationalism-autoritar/29121256.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At the end of 2020, the party had no members of the national assembly or in the European Parliament. By December 2020, the fellow Eurosceptic and far-right party [[Alliance for the Union of Romanians]] (AUR) entered the parliament for the first time and became the 4th largest party in the country, although it is unclear whether the party supports leaving the EU or not.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/29315/the-center-holds-in-romanian-elections-but-a-new-far-right-party-spells-trouble|title=The Center Holds in Romania, but a New Far-Right Party Spells Trouble|first=Andrew|last=MacDowall|newspaper=WPR|date=25 December 2020|language=en|access-date=24 February 2021|archive-date=28 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228192753/https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/29315/the-center-holds-in-romanian-elections-but-a-new-far-right-party-spells-trouble|url-status=live}}</ref>
==== Sweden====
In Sweden, the [[Alternative for Sweden]] is the biggest party in Sweden, that supports Sweden's withdrawal from the European Union. It has no representatives in the parliament of Sweden. In the 2019 European Parliament elections, the party ran on an anti-EU platform, receiving 0.46% of the vote.

=== Break-up of an existing member state and internal enlargement ===
{{See also|Future enlargement of the European Union#Internal enlargement}}
There are no clear agreements, treaties or precedents covering the scenario of an existing EU member state breaking into two or more states. The question is whether one state is a successor rump state which remains a member of the EU and the other is a new state which must reapply and be accepted by all other member states to remain in the EU, or alternatively whether both states retain their EU membership following the break-up.<ref>Edward, David, "Scotland's Position in the European Union", Scottish Parliamentary Review, Vol. I, No. 2 (Jan 2014) [Edinburgh: Blacket Avenue Press]</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-21195630|title=Scottish independence: Irish minister says EU application 'would take time'|date=25 January 2013|access-date=2 February 2013|publisher=BBC|archive-date=31 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231192520/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-21195630|url-status=live}}</ref>

In some cases, a region leaving its state would leave the EU – for example, if any of the various proposals for the [[enlargement of Switzerland]] from surrounding countries were to be implemented at a future date.

During the failed [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|Scottish independence referendum of 2014]], the European Commission said that any newly independent country would be considered as a new state which would have to negotiate with the EU to rejoin, though EU experts also suggested transitional arrangements and an expedited process could apply.<ref name="scot apply">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/13/independent-scotland-would-have-to-apply-to-join-eu-commission-says|title=Independent Scotland 'would have to apply to join EU' – Brussels official|first=Jennifer Rankin Severin|last=Carrell|date=14 March 2017|via=www.theguardian.com|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020836/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/13/independent-scotland-would-have-to-apply-to-join-eu-commission-says|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/an-independent-scotland-could-be-fast-tracked-into-the-eu-1-4371192|title=An independent Scotland could be 'fast-tracked into the EU'|date=20 February 2017|access-date=8 April 2019|newspaper=The Scotsman|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408080909/https://www.scotsman.com/news/an-independent-scotland-could-be-fast-tracked-into-the-eu-1-4371192|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36619907|title=Reality Check: Could Scotland inherit the UK's EU membership?|date=24 June 2016|access-date=8 April 2019|work=BBC News|archive-date=15 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415144118/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36619907|url-status=live}}</ref> Political considerations are likely to have a significant influence on the process; in the case of [[Catalonia]], for example, other EU member states may have an interest in blocking an independent Catalonia's EU membership in order to deter independence movements within their own borders.<ref name="cat pro eu">[http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/10/10/the-catalan-independence-movement-is-pro-eu-but-will-the-eu-accept-it/ The Catalan independence movement is pro-EU – but will the EU accept it?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809090815/https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/10/10/the-catalan-independence-movement-is-pro-eu-but-will-the-eu-accept-it/ |date=9 August 2020 }}, London School of Economics 10/OCT/17</ref>

== Legal effect on EU citizenship ==
{{Main|Citizenship of the European Union#Loss of EU citizenship due to member state withdrawal}}

[[Citizenship of the European Union]] is dependent on citizenship (nationality) of a member state, and citizenship remains a competence entirely vested with the member states. Citizenship of the EU can therefore only be acquired or lost by the acquisition or loss of citizenship of a member state. A probable but untested consequence of a country withdrawing from the EU is that, without otherwise negotiated and then legally implemented, its citizens are no longer citizens of the EU.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guidelines Involuntary Loss of European Citizenship (ILEC Guidelines 2015)|url=http://www.ilecproject.eu/sites/default/files/GUIDELINES%20INVOLUNTARY%20LOSS%20OF%20EUROPEAN%20CITIZENSHIP%20.pdf|website=ILEC Project|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=9 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809232648/http://www.ilecproject.eu/sites/default/files/GUIDELINES%20INVOLUNTARY%20LOSS%20OF%20EUROPEAN%20CITIZENSHIP%20.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> But the automatic loss of EU citizenship as a result of a member state withdrawing from the EU is the subject of debate.<ref name="ir.lawnet.fordham.edu">{{cite journal|journal=Fordham International Law Journal|volume=37|issue=1|year=2013|title=The Withdrawal Clause of the Lisbon Treaty in the Light of EU Citizenship (Between Disintegration and Integration)|url=http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2324&context=ilj|first=Clemens M.|last=Rieder|pages=147–174|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=22 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122232727/http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2324&context=ilj|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Expulsion ==
{{Main|Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union}}
While a state can leave, there is no provision for a state to be expelled. But [[s:Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union/Title I: Common Provisions#Article 7|TEU Article 7]] provides for the suspension of certain rights of a member state if a member persistently breaches the EU's founding values.

== See also ==
*[[Anti-Europeanism]] 
*[[Withdrawal from the Council of Europe]]
*[[Withdrawal from the eurozone]]
*[[Withdrawal from NATO]]
* {{Section link|Special territories of members of the European Economic Area#Former special territories}}

== Footnotes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union/Title VI: Final Provisions#Article 50|Text of Article 50}}
*[http://europa.eu/european-union/sites/europaeu/files/eu_citizenship/consolidated-treaties_en.pdf Official EU Consolidated treaties – Charter of Fundamental Rights]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article-50 The Guardian (UK) – Article 50 special report]
*[http://www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/scplps/ecblwp10.pdf Withdrawal and expulsion from the EU and EMU – some reflections]
*Adrian Williamson, [http://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/the-case-for-brexit-lessons-from-1960s-and-1970s The case for Brexit: lessons from the 1960s and 1970s], History and Policy (2015)
*[https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/draft_withdrawal_agreement_0.pdf Draft Withdrawal Document – TF50 (2018) 55 – Commission to EU27 – 14 Nov 2018] (with United Kingdom)

{{Withdrawal from the European Union}}
{{Members of the European Union (EU)}}
{{European Union candidates}}

[[Category:Withdrawal from the European Union| ]]
[[Category:Euroscepticism]]
[[Category:Geography of the European Union]]
[[Category:International law]]
[[Category:Politics of the European Union]]
[[Category:Treaty of Lisbon]]
[[Category:Withdrawal from international organizations|European Union]]