The “European Idea” will almost certainly survive. The EU will not shatter in the wake of Brexit, and it will overcome the economic fallout from the UK’s departure. But Brexit will damage Europe’s role in the world in a way that we Europeans currently seem unable to grasp. The recent decision by US President Donald Trump’s administration to downgrade the diplomatic status of the EU mission in Washington was perhaps a taste of things to come.
Europeans – and here I include the British – face the question of whether we will maintain our sovereignty between these new, rival power centres. With the possible exception of climate policies, Europe is already a spectator on most global conflicts and issues. These include the looming resumption of the nuclear arms race that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin appear hellbent on pursuing, as well as the violent turmoil in the Middle East.
All this should be reason enough to use the remaining weeks until March 29 to seek compromises that may limit the damage from Brexit. Clearly, the odds are stacked against success. For most of the Labour opposition, Europe is far less important than toppling Prime Minister Theresa May. Many of the ruling Tories, meanwhile , will reach their Brexit objective by doing nothing.
More specifically, European social democratic parties should reach out to Labour and its Euroskeptic leader Jeremy Corbyn. German conservatives and liberals, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, must reach out to the Irish government regarding the possible consequences of a hard Brexit, namely a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and a resurgence of violence on the island.
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