From the 2016 referendum in favor of Brexit to last-minute negotiations, a reminder of the main stages of the turbulent divorce between the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU).
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June 23, 2016: the British say “Yes” to Brexit
On June 23, 2016, the British voted in favor of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. The “Leave” camp wins with 51.9%, against 48.1% for the “Remain”, pro-European. The next day, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, defender of “Remain”, resigned. He is replaced by Theresa May, a Eurosceptic who however voted against Brexit.
On March 29, 2017, Theresa May activates Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which provides for a “withdrawal clause” from the Union of a Member State. It thus sets in motion the process of leaving the EU, which is then supposed to end two years later.
To establish his authority, Mr.me May calls early legislative elections. She lost her majority on June 8, which forced her to ally with the small ultraconservative North Irish Unionist party DUP.
November 13, 2018: a first agreement, which does not convince British MPs
On November 13, 2018, British and European negotiators conclude an exit agreement, approved on November 25 at an extraordinary European summit.
In the United Kingdom, reactions to the content of the agreement only confirm the deadlock in which Theresa May finds herself. One point, in particular, crystallizes the oppositions: the provisions concerning Ireland, and in particular the safety net, or backstop. If they make it possible to guarantee the fluidity of trade on both sides of the island border, and therefore peace, for the most radical of Europhobes they raise the risk of a thread to the leg that would link the United Kingdom to an indefinite period at the Union.
Three times in a row (January 15, 2019, March 12 and March 29), British MPs reject the deal. Brexit is postponed to March 22, then to October 31. Theresa May is forced to organize the European elections on May 23. The next day, she announces that she will resign on June 7.
July 23, 2019: Boris Johnson at the helm
On July 23, 2019, Boris Johnson, supporter of a Brexit on October 31 with or without an agreement, was appointed by the Conservative Party to succeed Theresa May.
On October 17, the EU and the UK announce that they have reached a new agreement. On October 22, the British Parliament ratifies the principle of the new agreement, but votes against its fast-track examination. Boris Johnson calls early parliamentary elections to break the deadlock. On October 28, the 27 grant the UK a postponement until January 31, 2020.
January 31, 2020: the British officially leave the EU
On December 12, 2019, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party won the legislative elections hands down, with a majority, unprecedented since Margaret Thatcher, of 365 out of 650 deputies.
Its Brexit agreement is approved by the House of Commons, renewed on January 9, 2020. The text is ratified on January 29 by the European Parliament.
On January 31, the British formally leave the EU. They enter a transition period until December 31, 2020, during which they continue to apply Union standards.
March 2020: start of long post-Brexit negotiations
At the beginning of March 2020, the EU and the United Kingdom begin negotiations on their future trade and security relationship, with the aim of reaching a free trade agreement without quotas or tariffs. Disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the talks stumble in particular on fishing and fair competition conditions.
On September 9, the British government announced its intention to renege on some of its commitments concerning Northern Ireland made at the time of Brexit. He recognizes that this is a violation of international law. 1er October, the EU launches an infringement procedure.
On October 15, 2020, the Twenty-Seven ask London to make concessions to reach a trade agreement. Boris Johnson, who had made this deadline a deadline, declares the negotiations completed and asks the British to prepare for a “no deal”.
After a week of deadlock, European negotiator Michel Barnier declares that the two parties will have to compromise and assures that an agreement will respect British sovereignty.
Discussions resume intensively on October 22. Supposed to end before November so that it is possible to apply a possible text in time, they are constantly being extended.
On December 8, London and Brussels announced an agreement on the application of special customs and tax provisions for Northern Ireland. The British government is withdrawing sections of its law challenged by the EU.
The next day, Boris Johnson went to Brussels for a dinner with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, a meeting which ended with a new observation of differences.
December 24, 2020: a last minute deal
They had a week to come to an agreement. Thursday, December 24, after a night and a morning of final negotiations, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom found common ground on their trade relations after the country’s effective exit from the EU.
Significant disagreements remained until the last moment, notably over the sharing of the some 650 million euros of products caught each year by the EU in British waters. Europe had offered to cut its catches in British waters by 25% over a six-year period – an offer hitherto deemed insufficient by the United Kingdom.
