Brexit: 50 things the UK needs to do after triggering Article 50

One of the next key steps will come when May's government introduces the Great Repeal Bill.

The bill is designed to put an end to the EU's legal jurisdiction over the UK. But first it will transpose all current EU laws into the UK statute books 'to ensure the maximum stability on exit,' the government says.

Parliament will then begin the daunting task of deciding which EU laws to keep and which to scrap, essentially untangling four decades of EU rules now enshrined in UK legislation.

There are nearly 20,000 EU legislative acts in force that make up a mind-boggling set of rules dictating everything from how much clean energy a country should use to the acceptable curvature of a grocery store banana.

So where will the government begin? Here's a list of just 50 things the UK will need to work out as it sets sail on its own.

MORE: What Article 50 actually says

The big questions

1. 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.

The UK is currently part of the European Single Market, which allows goods, services and people to move freely through member states. EU citizens have the right to travel and seek work in other EU countries. Roughly 1.2 million Brits were settled in the EU in 2015, and around 3.2 million EU nationals were living in the UK, according to government statistics.

But as May has made clear, the UK will no longer be part of the single market, so this free movement will come to an end after Brexit.

The idea of a points-based system like Australia's has been floated, with the aim of attracting immigrants with certain skills to fill gaps in the economy.

2. Asylum seekers and refugees

The UK has opted out of most EU legislation on immigration, but an exception is the Dublin III regulation, under which EU member states can transfer asylum seekers back to the first safe EU country they entered.

Since asylum seekers often reach the UK after traveling through countries like Italy and Greece, the UK transfers more asylum seekers back to those and other European countries under this rule than it receives.

But that law 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.

3. A trade deal with the EU

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.

The UK intends to leave the EU's single market and may also leave the EU customs union, through which Britain enjoys tariff-free trade. If no trade deal is agreed upon, the UK would have to trade with the EU under World Trade Organization rules, which could lead to new tariffs and regulations.

MORE: How many Brexit promises will be broken?

4. Trade deals with everyone else

Post-Brexit doors are opening for the UK to strike new trade deals with non-EU countries like the US, China, Brazil, Australia and Canada. As a member of the EU -- which negotiates trade deals as a bloc -- this would not have been possible.

5. 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 and requires telecommunications companies to store web-browsing histories for a year.

But the EU has strict data protection laws -- including one directive, for example, that says EU countries must guarantee that information is stored or accessed only if the user has been informed and been given the right of refusal.

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.

6. 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.'

The peculiar and pedantic

7. Working out what jam is

In 2010, an EU directive was passed stating that jams must consist of 60% sugar and come from a list of approved fruits in order to be classified as jam. The directive alarmed many small business owners already marketing their product as jam, who thought they would have to either change their labels or sugar content due to the regulation.

In 2013, Michelle 'Clippy' McKenna, a British apple preserve maker, argued that her product was a jam even though it didn't cross the sugar threshold -- but it turned out that there was a clause in the EU rule allowing for exemptions. It was just that the UK had not included this clause into its own law. The government has kept a lid on its plans to amend any food directives for now, although Brexit would allow the UK to can the jam rule altogether should it wish to.

8. Pig semen

Want to import pig semen into the EU? Farmers seeking to improve the quality of their pork must obtain pig semen from an authorized collection center and make sure it comes with an animal health certificate, according to another EU directive. It's not clear how the future of the swine gene pool will be affected by Brexit yet -- but it's surely on the minds of the farmers overseeing the 10,000 pig farms in the UK.



9. Bright lights

Could traditional incandescent light bulbs make a return to high street shelves in the UK? The UK mostly phased out incandescent bulbs following an EU directive favoring more energy efficient options in 2009. But the regulation only applied to domestic use, and to this day the traditional light bulbs are commercially available in the UK. It's possible Britain could bring back the bright lights after Brexit.

10. Bendy bananas

The EU rules on bananas have long been the subject of mockery. According to the 1994 regulation, bananas must be 'free from malformation or abnormal curvature,' be more than 14 centimeters in length and come in bunches of at least four. Other parts of the regulation say the fruit must be free from pests and mostly free of bruises. Bananas might be bendier after Brexit -- but could they be less appetizing too?

11. Footwear labeling

Look at the label on your shoes. If you bought it in the EU, you'll find information about the materials used to make them. EU law specifies that shoe labels must be embossed on the footwear or attached by an adhesive label, fastener or string. Shopping for shoes after Brexit could be a much more confusing affair if the UK doesn't find its footing with a new bill.



12. Move your horses

If you want to move a horse within the EU, strict rules apply. The animal must show no sign of disease in the 48 hours prior to traveling and must have had no contact with horses that have an infectious disease in the previous 15 days. But countries outside the EU face even tougher rules, including additional inspections by experts from EU countries and the European Commission. A post-Brexit UK may need to negotiate a separate arrangement to avoid these stricter regulations.



13. The future of football

The rules around sporting transfers are likely to change when Britain leaves the EU -- and impact one of the world's most watched leagues.

That means once Britain's demarcation from the EU is finally drawn, footballers looking to ply their trade in the English Premier League -- or in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- are likely to be subject to a tougher set of rules that govern transfers from outside the region.

The English Football Association in 2015 tightened the rules for non-EU players joining English teams in an effort to give indigenous players more chance.

So non-EU players had to have made a minimum number of international appearances for a top-50 country over the previous two years (the higher the ranking, the fewer the number of matches necessary).

Spanish superstar footballers, for example, may have to get the same work permits as Brazilians to play in post-Brexit England.



14. 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?



15. The future of coloring in

The EU is currently attempting to introduce new measures limiting the amount of lead allowed in toys and items that may be chewed on by children. Some British media characterized the proposal as little more than bureaucrats in Brussels clamping down on coloring pencils and crayons.

According to the European Chemicals Agency, the average lead content in the blood of European children is up to four times higher than recommended. EU toy safety regulations are some of the toughest in the world. It is unclear if the UK will stick to these rules after Brexit.



16. Noisy vehicles

An EU regulation aims to cut down on noise pollution by ensuring new cars are a little quieter than before. In three stages, it will ban new four-wheel passenger vehicles that are louder than 77 decibels by 2026, and vehicles carrying goods will be limited to 79 decibels. It also requires electric and hybrid cars to make artificial engine noises to avoid accidents, especially involving pedestrians. The chances of Britain being flooded with annoyingly noisy vehicles after Brexit seems unlikely, but the country may not stick to such stringent rules.



17. Trade in torture instruments

EU member nations are banned from importing items that have no practical use other than carrying out capital punishment, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment. Among them are electric chairs and shock belts, shackles, gallows, guillotines and pepper spray. Revisiting this law could make for some interesting deliberations in UK Parliament.

The nitty gritty

18. Brits abroad

At the moment, UK nationals can turn up to an EU country, flash their passports and be granted freedom of movement within the union. But once the country pulls out of the EU, this privilege could come to an end.

The government will need to negotiate a deal for its citizens and will likely try to retain visa-free travel. But the European Commission may have other ideas -- it currently has a proposal on that table for a visa waiver system, much like the scheme in the United States, to tighten screening of all non-EU members entering the EU. This would involve applying online for a visa ahead of time and paying a small fee to be given access to the zone.



19. Roaming charges

EU citizens pay relatively low roaming fees for phone calls and data usage within the EU. And the union is aiming to abolish roaming charges altogether by June this year.

As outsiders, telecommunications companies will not be obliged to offer the same low rates to British travelers, and these rates may come down to what kind of deal the government strikes with the EU.



20. Cost of air travel

Air travel between EU countries has become much more affordable since the EU removed several competition barriers, allowing budget airlines to flourish. But after Brexit, UK airlines such as EasyJet won't be able to take advantage of these benefits and will need to make new agreements to operate in EU airspace, ac