Great Britain officially triggers Brexit process

The British Premier, Theresa May, has officially notified the EU Council President Donald Tusk via a hand-delivered letter to initiate the process of leaving the European Union.

Thus, the country has triggered the procedure under Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty and officially launched the Brexit process.

“This is a historic moment from which there can be no turning back. Great Britain is leaving the EU. Britain will now make its own decisions and its own laws and take control of that which matters most to us – we are going to take this opportunity to build a stronger, fairer Britain, a country that our children and grandchildren will be proud to call home,” said the British Premier, Theresa May.

She added that leaving the EU in no implies that Britain would give up on European values. “We will remain reliable partners, good allies and friends,” Theresa May noted.

The referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) was held on 23 June 2016. According to the results, 51,9% of British citizens voted for leaving the EU, while 48,1% voted against it.
Public opinion surveys showed that Brexit was mostly supported by elderly people with a low level of education, while the youth and highly educated groups of citizens were against the idea.
Of no less importance is the fact that people in various regions across the UK voted differently. For example, the majority of the population in Scotland backed the idea of maintaining EU membership. The Scottish leadership now seeks to organize a referendum on quitting the UK.