UK Prime Minister Signs Letter Notifying Brussels on Brexit’s Launch

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Theresa May has signed a letter, notifying the EU authorities about a formal launch of Brexit.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May signs the letter invoking Article 50, at 10 Downing Street in London on March 28, 2017 (Photo: Pool via AP / Christopher Furlong)

On Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Theresa May signed a letter, notifying the EU authorities about a formal launch of the procedure for the country’s exit from the EU. The news was confirmed by an official photo, published in British newspapers on March 28.

The photo shows the Prime Minister, sitting at a table in her official residence on Downing Street 10. The photo also allows noticing that the letter consists of several pages. According to British newspapers, the letter should be personally handed over to head of the European Council, Donald Tusk, in Brussels by UK’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Tim Barrow.

This is a notification that must be done in accordance with Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU. The fact of the article’s usage begins a two-year process of negotiations on conditions of the ‘divorce’ between London and Brussels.

On Wednesday, May should inform the British Parliament that she has officially notified Brussels of the Brexit procedure’s launch. According to the Guardian newspaper, this should happen around 12:30 pm. Approximately at the same time, Barrow will hand over the letter to Tusk, the Financial Times newspaper noted.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Prime Minister made phone calls to European leaders, during which she informed them of the impending application of Article 50. According to the press service of the head of the UK government, May had phone conversations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, head of the European Council and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, during which she put them in the picture before sending the notification of the UK’s intention to exit from the EU.

As the press service stressed, during separate conversations, the politicians agreed that a strong EU is in the interest of all, and that the UK will remain a close and devoted ally. It also was noted that the politicians agreed on the importance of the negotiations’ starting with a constructive and positive attitude in order to ensure a smooth and orderly process for the exit from the EU.

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