UK May Keep Association Status With EU in Case of Brexit

Should British citizens decide in a referendum in June that their country should leave the European Union, London may still retain association status within the bloc, a source in the European Parliament said.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Currently, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, which are part of the European Free Trade Association, hold an association status with the European Union.

"In the event that the majority of Britons vote in a referendum for Brexit, it will not happen immediately — the exit process will take several years. In this case, the United Kingdom can count on the status of a country which is in association with the European Union," the source told RIA Novosti.

An exit of one of the members from the bloc is possible under the Article 50 of the EU Agreement. The member state, which decides to quit, should first notify the European Council.

UK nationals are set to vote on June 23 in a referendum on the country's EU membership, after UK Prime Minister David Cameron and the leaders of the 27 other European Union member states reached a deal last week to grant the United Kingdom a special status within the bloc.