How is the EU fixed to handle members who wish to withdraw? Will they have to fight a Civil War, or can they leave the Union as freely as they entered it?
Anybody have the answer to this one?
UPDATE Answered my own question. A quick google search found this:
Radek Khol is an analyst at the Czech Institute of International Relations. He agrees with Vahl that there are no current legal mechanisms to allow members to leave the EU. "Within the current treaty on the European Union, [leaving the EU] would be effectively impossible. Nevertheless, the new constitutional treaty, which is prepared by the Convention on the Future of Europe, is already putting such a clause into the relevant chapters [of the text]," Khol said.
However:
Khol said, however, that withdrawing from the EU will not be easy. Candidate countries will be receiving substantial EU financial support, and their economies will be closely integrated into EU structures. Divorce, he said, would be a complicated matter. "If any of the future EU states decides at some point that it wants to leave the union, it would be, indeed, fairly complicated, in political, economic, legal, and financial aspects. And I think that most of the states would probably try to avoid such a prospect," Khol said.Khol said the EU, from the beginning, was created as a one-way street and counts on close political and economic integration.
"Yes, you can leave, although there's no rules on it just yet (we'll get right on drafting those rules and get back to you) but be assured, if you want to leave, we'll work something out, although we will make it as painful and expensive as we possibly can."
Hmmm. A quick history lesson might be in order. It's generally better if these things are worked out beforehand...
Posted by Rich at April 21, 2003 1:17 PM | TrackBack