介绍:
Now that the country has full clarity on its new Prime Minister, after Summer I expect the British government to notify its intention to withdraw the UK from the EU and talks must then start without rancour. The UK should not be treated as a deserter but as a family member who is still loved but has decided to go in another direction. There is no intention to ensure that the UK receives a bad deal but it is clear that there can be no better deal with the EU than EU membership. The EU moreover must look out for its members’ interests and uphold its founding principles. The single market for example entails four freedoms (capital, goods, services, persons) and not three or three and a half.
Negotiations must be concluded swiftly. The world will not wait idly by as Europeans navel gaze. Both the UK and the EU need to quickly turn the page and focus on people’s needs and geo-political challenges. The European Parliament, which must consent to the withdrawal agreement, will contribute constructively to the negotiations. Its views need to receive the utmost consideration, without which there could be no deal and the UK would be forced into a WTO-style relationship which is neither in the interest of the UK or the EU.
The EU for its part can never be the same again. We must learn from the result of the referendum, while on the other hand not over-interpret it. For decades the tabloids have performed mass brainwashing and the leave campaign force-fed intolerance of the foreigner. No change to the EU will convince those who have fallen victim to these actors. A bonfire of the EU is therefore not the way forwards. However, many who voted ‘leave’ did so because they have been left behind. They want to turn the clock back to a time when they were not marginalised. This profile is common across Europe and deserves our full attention. The EU is not the cause for their marginalisation, but it can be part of the solution. (未完待续)
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