Scotland calls for independence referendum
02:30
Brexit: Article 50 will be triggered next week
Updated 11:34 AM ET, Mon March 20, 2017
London (CNN)British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on March 29, starting official Brexit negotiations between the UK and the European Union, her spokesman has confirmed.
The UK notified the EU on Monday of its intention to invoke
Article 50 and will now prepare for a lengthy legislative
and political program which promises to be anything but
clear-cut.
"Last June, the people of the UK made the historic decision
to leave the EU. Next Wednesday, the government will deliver
on that decision and formally start the process by
triggering Article 50," Brexit secretary David Davis said in
a statement Monday.
"We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation
for this country for a generation," he added. "The
government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every
nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe --
a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends
and allies in the European Union."
In response, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council,
tweeted that he would present draft Brexit guidelines to
the remaining 27 EU member states withing 48 hours.
Tusk's spokesman,
Preben Aamann, told CNN that the EU will require
between four to six weeks to consult with the other 27
member states and hammer out an initial negotiating
position.
Warning
The announcement comes a day after European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that other member
states will "realize it's not worth leaving" the EU
after they see the deal the UK gets.
The trigger day, which is next Wednesday, will come as
the EU celebrates its 60th anniversary next week.
The loss of Britain to the bloc has created speculation
that other states might decide to follow suit, something
Juncker strongly disagreed with in an interview
published on Sunday.
"They will all see from the UK's example that leaving
the EU is a bad idea,"
Juncker told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.
"On the contrary, the remaining member states will fall
in love with each other again and renew their vows with
the European Union."
'Intimidated'
European leaders have stepped up their rhetoric over the
past week as the start of negotiations draws nearer.
Last week, Tusk said the EU
would not be "intimidated" by threats from Britain
that it would prefer to walk away from Brexit talks if
it did not get its way.
And Juncker reiterated that view, insisting Britain
would have to get used to be on the outside, looking in.
"Half memberships and cherry-picking aren't possible,"
Juncker told the German newspaper.
"In Europe you eat what's on the table or you don't sit
at the table."
Jean-Claude Juncker made his comments to
a German newspaper.
Scotland
May has already been fiercely criticized by Scotland's
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has demanded a
second referendum on Scottish independence.
Sturgeon has made plain her view that Britain is heading
for a "bad deal" on Brexit and wants Scotland to have a
vote on independence before the terms of the deal are
signed.
She has accused May of failing to engage with her call
for Scotland to remain in the European single market
after Brexit, and that Scotland risks being taken out of
the EU against its will.
Sturgeon's demand that the referendum be held between
late 2018 and early 2019 was met with fierce criticism
by May, who rejected the motion by saying it wasn't the
"right time" for such a vote.
On Sunday, Sturgeon said she could revise her timetable
for the referendum if May was willing to compromise.
May, who last week declared that the UK is facing a
"defining moment" in its history, will visit Wales
Monday as she steps up her charm offensive.
She was to hold meetings with Welsh First Minister
Carwyn Jones and Brexit Secretary David Davis and was
expected to also visit Scotland and Northern Ireland in
due course.
"From my first day ... I made clear my determination to
strengthen and sustain the precious union. I have also
been clear that as we leave the European Union I will
work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the
UK," May said in a statement before the visit.
"I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to
make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh
businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as
part of a global trading nation."