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Withdrawal agreement (Article 50)

The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, but remained part of the customs union and single market during the transition period until 31 December 2020.

Art 50

The Background

Two sets of negotiations between the EU and the UK took place in the wake of the June 2016 UK referendum. The first, which resulted in the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Irish Protocol, set the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU. The negotiations were triggered by the UK in March 2017 and concluded in October 2019.

The UK duly left the EU on 31 January 2020, although it remained part of the customs union and the single market during a transition period which expired on 31 December 2020.

The key issues were settling the UK’s outstanding financial liabilities, the rights of EU citizens in the UK and of UK citizens in the EU, and the Irish border. The second negotiations concern the future partnership between the EU and UK, including the trade relationship.