Ten years of Brexit: what are the takeaways?
Ten years ago today, the British voted to leave the EU. Since then, the UK has had six prime ministers and is about to appoint its seventh. Europe's press reflects on the changes that have taken place in the EU and the UK, and takes stock of the situation.
EU better without the British
Jordi Juan, editor-in-chief of La Vanguardia reflects on how the EU has fared without Britain:
“Many key decisions, such as the creation of the Next Generation Fund, the European Green Deal or immigration policy, might not have been supported by the British, or only with great difficulty. The UK never joined the Schengen Agreement or adopted the euro. It was always reluctant to fully commit itself to Europe. ... If that hadn't been the case, and if young Britons were more pro-European, the UK would be an excellent partner and would greatly strengthen the EU.”
Self-deprecating humour sorely missed
The EU has learned to get by without the UK, notes The Economist:
“In many ways the EU has remained the same. English is even more of a lingua franca in Brussels than it was in 2016. ... Perhaps the biggest impact of Brexit was on EU morale. The bloc out-negotiated Britain at every turn of the four-year-long divorce. That gave it confidence to face later crises, whether covid or Ukraine. Yet the self-deprecating humour of Britain's EU contingent remains sorely missed, even among their former ideological enemies.”
Europe has shifted to the right
Brexit has permanently changed Europe, according to an analysis by historian Andrew Knapp in Le Monde:
“Brexit and the nature of the Brexit campaigns have ushered in a decade of decisive victories for the far right across the globe. It is now on the verge of attaining political power in both France and Germany, and is already firmly entrenched in Italy. It is also gaining influence within the EU. ... In the unlikely event of the British returning to the EU, they would find a completely different Europe to the one they left ten years ago.”