*Accession must be approved unanimously by the EU Council and must receive the consent of the European Parliament. Each EU country and the acceding country will then sign the treaty, which they will ratify in accordance with their own constitutional procedures.
Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union establishes the right of a Member State to withdraw from the European Union. A Member State may unilaterally decide to withdraw from the European Union.
Consequences: Legally, it ceases to be a Member State of the women database European Union and has no rights or obligations arising from the treaties of the Union.
The Treaty on European Union introduces conditions, it is not an absolute right. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union provides the mechanism for the voluntary and unilateral withdrawal of a country from the European Union.
A European Union country wishing to withdraw must notify its intention to the European Council, which will provide guidelines for the conclusion of the agreement setting out the necessary arrangements for withdrawal.
The agreement is concluded by the Council, acting by a qualified majority, on behalf of the EU, after prior consent of the European Parliament.
The Treaties cease to apply to the requesting country from the date of entry into force of the agreement or, at the latest, two years after notification of withdrawal. The Council may decide to extend this period.
Any country that has withdrawn from the EU may apply to rejoin and will have to go through the accession procedure again.
Brexit
The United Kingdom will be the first Member State to begin the process of leaving the European Union.
The Brexit process:
On 29 March 2017, Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union is triggered because the United Kingdom has sent a letter to the Council notifying it of its intention to leave the European Union. Following the letter, negotiations will begin. The terms of the United Kingdom's exit from the Union must be approved by all Member States.