Has Europe learned all the wrong lessons from Brexit?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60054/PEU.2021.8.121-129Keywords:
Britain, European Union, Brexit, Conference on the Future of Europe, European IntegrationAbstract
In June 2016, Britain, a member of the EU since 1973 and one of its largest economies, voted to leave the formal institutions of the European integration process. Notwithstanding the importance of that event, Brexit remains completely absent in current debates regarding the EU’s future. This absence reflects both a political desire in Brussels “to move past Brexit” and a reordering of European priorities given the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. This paper identifies that the EU’s approach to British relations since 2016 has been defined by two characteristics. First, a stable and persisting unity on all major issues. Second, a disciplined focus on the technical details of Brexit. However, this approach is not without serious risk. It has caused the EU to overlook how the EU’s strategic choices evolved, shaped and influenced Britain’s position in Europe since the 1980s. It has also caused Brussels to underestimate the strategic importance of Britain and to undervalue the wider benefits it accrues from its close relationship with the United States. The implications of those “lost” lessons are relevant to the future development path of the EU. They will also pose a challenge to several Central and Eastern European members of the EU in the years ahead.
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