SUGGESTED LEAD:
With the UK gearing up to formally notify the European Union of its plan to leave the bloc...what happens next?
Britain will notify / has notified Brussels by sending a formal document to the European Council invoking what's known as Article 50.
From Brussels, our Europe correspondent Jack Parrock.
IN: "The triggering ..."
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REPORTER VO:
The triggering of Article 50 starts a 2 year period of negotiations at the end of which the UK will no longer be a member of the EU.
The question is - how will the process play out?
From the European Union's side, it's been agreed that the European Council - the body representing the government's of the EU - will send out a set of currently unknown guidelines to the remaining 27 countries within 48 hours of Article 50.
BITE: Joe Owen - The Institute for Government, London
"First thing you expect to see is talks about the talks. Agreeing the answer to questions like - what is on the agenda? What are the timelines? Can the UK negotiate it's future relationship alongside the exit agreement? Willl the exit agreement have to come first? Who's sat around the table?"
REPORTER VO:
But none of that will begin until the European Council calls a summit of the leaders of the remaining countries to agree on the EU's guidelines which will set out its priorities during the negotiations - and that's going to take 4 to 6 weeks.
And even then the talks with the UK won't start until the European Council instructs the EU's executive body - The European Commission - to conduct the negotiations - that could take another week or so.
That will then place the power into Michel Barnier's hands - the former French foreign minister has been named the chief Brexit negotiator for the European Commission
He'll face off against the UK's brexit minister David Davis - both men have been building their teams over the past months.
Here in Brussels the focus is on keeping the remaining countries on the same page.
BITE: Donald Tusk - European Council president
"I will be urging everyone to strive towards maintaining political unity among the 27. This is why when discussing the various scenarios for Europe our main objective should be to strengthen mutual trust and unity among 27."
REPORTER VO
The EU has consistently said nothing will be decided until the official article 50 notification and with that now happening, a number of crucial decisions are coming about where, when and how the talks will take place. What's still not known is what sort of relationship the UK and the EU will have once the 2 years of talks have concluded.
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ENDS
Jack Parrock
Bureau Chief - FSN Brussels
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