The hypothesis of the United Kingdom leaving – would it be a tragedy or, on the contrary, an opportunity for countries that wish to progress towards more integration and for the economies of the other member states?
“A tragedy… an irreversible rupture” of Europe, according to Manuel Valls. Here, the opposite will be argued: Brexit is a tremendous opportunity.
For Europe, Britain’s exit would put a definitive halt to the forced expansion movement of the European Union. A policy that Britain has always encouraged, seeing it as an effective way to dilute the continental momentum driven by the Franco-German duo.
The EU’s inability to face recent crises, from the smallest (Greek crisis) to the more significant ones (euro, terrorism, migrants), is proof of this.
Brexit could initiate a healthy movement of refocusing Europe on countries that truly want to advance together.
It would allow for a less adventurous European Union diplomacy than in recent years. A Middle Eastern policy to relaunch and reinvent after the agreement with Iran. Finally, a strategic priority to be given to Africa and the Mediterranean, the futures of Europe, for better or for worse.
Last but not least, with Brexit, the City of London will lose the essence of its purpose, which makes it the financial center of Europe.
Transformed into a literally offshore tax haven, the City will see its banks and asset managers flee in mass, those wanting to continue operating in the European market without the regulatory barriers and taxes that will then apply to London institutions that have become non-European.
Before rolling out the red carpet from London to Paris, we must be able to instill in Paris the same spirit of freedom, pragmatism, and optimism that has always existed in London.
by Marmaduke
