It’s official! The United Kingdom has left the European Union as of January 31 after three years of fighting for their independence. This is a huge moment in history, so you are probably wondering… what should I know? Here are a couple must-know points.
- The vote barely passed.
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According to a BBC poll on the referendum, only 52 percent voted for the United Kingdom to leave the EU. That means 48 percent of the population wanted to remain in the EU. This is a huge deal because from now on, the United Kingdom is its own entity with no ties to the European Union until they begin a trading system. A whole new economy is going to be reinstated as well as a stronger form of government, and the public must adhere to that system.
- The European Union officially took down the UK’s flag in their headquarters.
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Currently, each nation in the EU has their flag hoisted in the headquarters. However, the day after the referendum the EU had a ceremony where they took down the flag. This official ceremony marks the beginning of the end between the European Union and the United Kingdom. For those who do not know, the European Union is an economic and political union that provides free trade between their 28 nations. It allows free movement to and from partner nations, trade to stimulate the economy and work in whichever country without a European equivalent of a Green card. So as you can imagine, not having this system means many things are going to change in The United Kingdom.
- The United Kingdom is now in a transition period.
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Like I said before, it is not easy to transition from being a part of the EU to leaving it. As a result, the United Kingdom has entered an 11-month transition period until the UK and the EU decide what their future relationship will look like. Until December 31, the EU rules will stay the exact same.
- The UK has a lot to figure out in a short amount of time.
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To make it simple, here are a couple of things the UK has to figure out so the nation does not collapse after the EU leaves.
-A new trade agreement: Without this, the UK economy will collapse and there is no doubt about it. This is, in fact, why many voted no on the referendum.
-A new legal system: As I mentioned before, people were allowed to live in the UK and work in other EU countries with no problem. That changes now. The UK has the responsibility of creating a brand new system to ensure this concept remains.
-Dividing up access to fisheries: The EU relied on ports in the UK for fisheries and access to the open waters. As a result, now the two entities have to decide what is next and how they are going to divide up the ports.
-Splitting energy sources: Just like everything else, electricity and gas have become interwoven since the UK joined the EU in 1973. Electricity and gas have run between all EU nations until now. As separate groups, they have to figure out how the UK will smoothly split from the EU without losing energy.
- The UK economy needs to be fixed. Otherwise, it’ll be the demise of this brand new nation.
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Until the UK figures out how to initiate trade, they cannot afford to lose the EU. Too many lives depend on trade within these nations and their economy hangs in the balance. Without figuring out a solid solution to this problem, the UK cannot leave negotiations with the EU. Otherwise, it’ll be the end of the independent UK.
With all that being said, this is a moment in history that you should know about. It is going to change the way Europe is run and how global politics are conducted. So, keep these facts in mind and circle back to this issue at the end of the year!
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