This is Paul Adamson and I'm in conversation with Jean-Clobieris.

John Clopperis is the former head of the legal service of the Council of Ministers and is now a recognized expert on Brexit.

In fact, our third Brexit podcast, there's certainly plenty of things to talk about.

We're going to focus on this podcast about the transition phase, or what the British Prime Minister

calls the implementation phase in the context of Brexit and Article 50. But before we come

on to the transition or implementation phase, I want to talk to you about

the timing.

We think we know from the British Prime Minister that she will finally trigger Article 50

sometime by the end of March 2017.

But how much effective time is there for negotiation in the actual space of these formal two years?

Good evening, Paul.

Yes, everybody counts now on Mrs May giving her notification of the intention of the UK

to leave on 30 or 31st of March.

So that means that in the theory we begin the two years on the 30 or 31st of March.

So that means that in a theory we begin the two years, negotiation, 24 months on the 1st of April.

But of course, it does not go like that because the EU has to look at the letter of the UK to study it, to examine it. And then the first step in the EU is the guidelines of the European Council.

They have to be adopted by a common agreement of the 27th, so it's not...

Nothing, you know, it's quite difficult.

You have to have a draft and to discuss and maybe to amend it and so on so

so on so well so i think that will take maybe two months and then and these guidelines are for

the european commission that's guidelines for the other institutions okay not only the commission

but the commission's it's not finished with that because the commission

...