Are you about to trigger Article 50?

It is expected that on March 14, after the House of Lords and the House of Commons approve the UK's departure from the EU, British Prime Minister Theresa May will activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. What will happen then? Sky News offers some answers.

British flag and EU flag at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium - Photo: Reuters

What is Article 50?

Article 50 has five clauses, of which clause 1 allows any member of the EU to leave the bloc as required by its constitution. Clause 5 of Article 50 states that if it has left the EU and wants to return to the bloc, it must follow the rules of Article 49.

Article 50 was only added to EU law in 2009 in the Lisbon Protocol. Before that, there was no provision for leaving the EU.

The provisions of Article 50 are quite brief and, as there is no precedent for their activation, the implementation process remains quite obscure.

How is Article 50 triggered?

In an unprecedented move, Article 50 will be triggered by the UK-EU deal. Under the law, the UK will only need to write an email to the President of the EU Council.

Alternatively, the UK could send a letter directly to the EU Council building in Brussels, Belgium. This could be done by the UK ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, or Brexit Secretary David Davis.

When is Article 50 triggered?

It is expected that on March 14 (UK time), after being approved by the British House of Commons and Lords, British Prime Minister Theresa May will activate Article 50.

The UK's triggering of Article 50 to leave the EU could affect the Dutch election on March 15. This news could give an advantage to candidate Geert Wilders, who is always anti-EU.

After triggering Article 50, what is the UK's position towards the EU?

For two years from the date of triggering Article 50, the UK remains a member of the EU. For example, if Article 50 was triggered on 15 March 2017, the UK would not officially cease to be a member of the EU until 15 March 2019.

During these two years, the UK will still be subject to all EU laws and procedures. There are only two issues that the UK will not be able to participate in with the EU during this time: when the EU discusses the issue of the UK leaving the bloc and internal economic issues of the bloc.

Once activated, can Article 50 be stopped?

Article 50 does not explicitly say whether it can be stopped after it has been triggered, and EU lawyers have not yet spoken on the issue. If the UK wants to stay in the EU after triggering Article 50, politicians will meet to see if Article 50 can be reversed.

What will the UK and EU negotiate?

Sources close to the EU said it would take about eight weeks for the EU to write a detailed guideline. It is possible that in early April 2017, the EU will meet with the remaining 27 members to agree on the issues to negotiate with the UK.

By law, the UK delegation will negotiate with the EU delegation, but it is likely that the UK will have to negotiate each issue separately with each country. Some issues may be negotiated under the remit of Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator. But some will be negotiated between heads of state.

Belgian diplomat Didier Seeuws was said to have played a key role in keeping the talks on track.

According to Tuoi Tre