Withdrawal from the Union

Abstract

Despite several threats of withdrawal, up till now no state has actually seceded from the European Union (EU). Previous treaties governing the EU did not contain any provision on withdrawal. They instead provided in Art. 312 EC and Art. 51 TEU that these Treaties were concluded for an unlimited period. The issue of whether the Member States still might withdraw under these clauses was discussed from time to time. Those who advocated for such a right gave as an example of its practical exercise the withdrawal of Greenland (Danish autonomous territory). This, however, may be questionable due to the particular circumstances of the case: Greenland was not a direct member of the European Community (EC), but in a sense a part of the territory of Denmark, and it was not Greenland that applied for withdrawal but Denmark seeking redefinition of the application of the Treaties to its territory after a referendum in Greenland on the continued European Economic Community (EEC) membership.2