Özet:

United Kingdom which has an ongoing relationship with the European Union since 1973 has generally had problematic relations during the membership process. A country who does not play a part in the early European integration process keeps wary eye to the process she joins lately. This turbulent and detached relationship brings the membership process which mostly contains sharp discussions to an unexpected breakpoint. Brexit has been the most important milestone in the United Kingdom-the European Union relations. Therefore, examining the process through Brexit, its reasons and results will help understand the issue better. Given this goal, therefore, this study aims to deal with the Brexit process in detail and contribute to the existing literature. Process beginning with the reform requests by Conservative Party in relations with the European Union in 2013 resulted in a referendum with 51.9% leaving decision on June 23, 2016. In the Brexit referendum which proceeds from the populist and unreal discourses, Conservative Party and United Kingdom Independence Party have been the actors managing the whole process. Even these two political parties conduct different campaigns on the EU membership which they turn it into a domestic policy tool; they have eventually completed the process. Thus, for the first time, a member state decided to enter leaving process in the European Union’s history. In this framework, this study initially deals with the historical background of the United Kingdom-the European Union relations and causes of Brexit. Then, economic effects of Brexit on United Kingdom and roles of Conservative Party and United Kingdom Independence Party in this process were mentioned. Lastly, leaving process was chronologically examined and the steps of leaving process and the progress were shown. The process which happens for the first time in the EU history has been shaped by the EU’s relevant institutions joint with the UK’s authorities. Similar to a candidate country’s membership process, the leaving negotiations have been going on between the EU and the UK. As a conclusion, it is indicated that Brexit has negative effects on politics and economy of United Kingdom. Economic-wise, the study shows that the UK economy has been affected negatively in the short-run in addition the negative expectations in the long-run. Political-wise, on the other hand, Conservative Party and United Kingdom Independence Party that have taken place in every stage of the process have gone up in flames and led their leaders who conducted referendum campaigns to abandon politics. Consequently, after a referendum without an exact winner, it is also unclear what happens after the Brexit process.

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