BREXIT: KEY THINGS UK NEEDS TO DO
Brexit officially began yesterday after UK Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50, kicking off Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. Here's a list of key things the UK will need to work out as it sets sail on its own.
A NEW IMMIGRATION SYSTEM
Immigration was a key issue in the Brexit debate. After the UK withdraws from the union, a system to allow its nationals to visit, work, study and live in the EU -- and vice versa -- must be hammered out.
ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES
The Dublin III regulation will no longer apply after Brexit, so those countries won't be obliged to receive asylum seekers whom the UK wants to send back. If the UK wants to preserve the principle of Dublin III, the government must negotiate separate bilateral arrangements with each individual country.
One of the most contentious points of the Brexit debate was the UK's trade relations with the EU. A new trade deal is expected to be one of the most difficult and important parts of the negotiations.
SECURITY VS. PRIVACY
The UK government has proved nosier than most of its EU counterparts -- last year, Parliament passed the Investigatory Powers Act, better known as the "Snooper's Charter," which gives UK law enforcement agencies unprecedented access to personal data. The EU in December ruled that parts of the "Snooper's Charter" were unlawful. When the UK leaves the EU however, the judgment will be rendered invalid.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
As well as being a member of Europol, the UK is part of an EU system where police forces from different countries can automatically share DNA, fingerprints and vehicle registration data for law enforcement purposes. According to European think tank CEPS, "Brexit means that the UK will lose access to all these information tools for law enforcement purposes."
SAFETY AT WORK
EU laws on health and safety at work are often mocked for being excessive. Employers must make sure workers have information about the weight and weight distribution of a load before handling it, and they must organize workstations to make handling as safe as possible. The directive warns of increased risks if the floor is uneven, the load is unwieldy or the worker is wearing unsuitable clothing. Without this law, or a similar replacement, is UK workplace safety in jeopardy?
GENDER EQUALITY
Under its Strategic Gender Equality plan, the EU allocated 6.17 billion euros ($6.7 billion) between 2014 and 2020 to reach certain targets, such as reducing the gender pay gap, preventing and combating violence against women and getting more women involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The UK government will need to decide how to fill this funding gap, post-Brexit.
CO2 EMISSIONS
The UK is part of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the cornerstone of the EU's climate change policy and the world's first and biggest carbon market. If the UK leaves the ETS, the EU-wide cap will need to be adjusted and legislation introduced to keep the UK's CO2 emissions in check.