United Kingdom opt-outs from EU legislation
Former EU provisions / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The United Kingdom was a member state of the European Union and of its predecessor the European Communities from 1973 until 2020. Since the foundation of the European Communities, it has been an important neighbour, and was a leading member state until its withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020 as a result of Brexit, ending 47 years of membership.
In general, the law of the European Union is valid in all of the European Union member states. However, occasionally member states negotiate certain opt-outs from legislation or treaties of the European Union, meaning they do not have to participate in certain policy areas. The United Kingdom had four opt-outs in place before leaving the Union–the most of any EU member state, making it the least integrated member state.