The 27 member states of the European Union today adopted the negotiating mandate of Michel Barnier and his team, giving him the green light to open discussions on the UK's withdrawal from the EU and EU Institutions. "The EU-27 formally adopts the Brexit negotiating directives, appoints the Commission as negotiator and authorizes the opening of negotiations," the EU's Maltese EU Presidency said on the social network. The mandate given by the member states is "firm and clear", welcomed the EU's deputy...

MEPs welcomed the unity of the 27 Member States and the EU institutions with regard to Brexit and also called for a reform of the EU to benefit all its citizens. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk presented to MEPs the Guidelines for Brexit negotiations agreed by the Member States at the summit on 29 April. He welcomed the alignment with the ‘red lines’ set by the European Parliament. The detailed negotiating mandate will be presented for adoption...

MEPs will debate on Wednesday morning the guidelines for the EU negotiations with the UK that the European Council agreed at its last meeting in April. European Council President Donald Tusk, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU chief negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier will take part in the debate. The guidelines agreed by the Council are broadly in line with the key principles and conditions for the UK's withdrawal agreement European Parliament adopted on 5 April. In their resolution, MEPs...

Although few of them were allowed to vote during the referendum, the millions of EU citizens living in the UK will be among those affected the most by Brexit. The EU wants to reach a deal to protect their rights as soon as possible during the upcoming negotiations with the UK. This week Parliament is holding a hearing on the situation and rights of EU citizens in the UK. Watch the meeting live online and check out our infographic...

The Bank of England on Friday made public for the first time how many special loss-absorbing bonds British-based banks must issue to prevent taxpayers having to pay for bank bailouts in the future. by Huw Jones The bonds, known as MREL, are aimed at ending "too big to fail" banks, which means banks will have enough resources to draw on in a crisis without going cap in hand to taxpayers. MREL bonds convert into equity capital once a bank's main capital reserves...

President Juncker participates in the European Council to prepare the Brexit negotiating mandate and helps finding solutions on a number of bilateral issues. At the European Council on Article 50 today, leaders adopted the EU's Political Guidelines for the Brexit negotiations. President Juncker welcomed the adoption of the Political Guidelines which reflect the joint work of President Juncker and President Tusk and their teams. He also underlined the Commission's commitment to defending the interests of the EU27 and building the best...

European Council (Art. 50) guidelines following the United Kingdom's notification under Article 50 TEU On 29 March 2017, the European Council received the notification by the United Kingdom of its intention to withdraw from the European Union and Euratom. This allows for the opening of negotiations as foreseen by the Treaty. European integration has brought peace and prosperity to Europe and allowed for an unprecedented level and scope of cooperation on matters of common interest in a rapidly changing world. Therefore,...

What is Article 50? Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union sets out the procedure for a Member State to withdraw from the European Union, if it should wish to do so. It was first introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2007. How does a Member State trigger Article 50? A Member State must notify the European Council of its intention to leave. There are no particular requirements regarding the form. What happens once Article 50 has been triggered? The withdrawal agreement must...