When the 2016 UK referendum on the exit from the European Union brought an unexpected result, the European Commission appointed 3 men to guarantee that the brexit decision was remembered as bottomless stupidity. Today, the same 3 men sit in the highest ranks of the EU's political pantheon – only that they are singing hymns from the brexite dog. How did this happen? The answer will aid to realize the deepening crisis of the Union.
Michel Barnier, 1 of the erstwhile EU Commissioners, was entrusted with direct negotiations with Britain. He was tasked with pushing British envoys and demanding a pound of meat from them on all possible occasion.
Donald Tusk, then president of the European Council, even launched a failed run for the another referendumnon-graduate statingthat for brexites a "separate ellipse of hell" is provided.
Finally Emmanuel Macron, after taking over the presidency of France, led from the tallness of the Elysée Palace a discourse battle against the spirit of the brexit, informing British colleagues that they would not be able to choose the elements of the EU community that they actually like and reject the rest.
These 3 men went to war with the brexites to accomplish 3 goals. Firstly, to preserve the coherence of the EU's single market, and in peculiar the thought of equal opportunities, according to which a company, whether French or Portuguese or Slovenian, applies the same principles – at least in theory. Meanwhile, the brexites on both the right and the left firmly believed that the British government had to regain the right to supply state aid to strategically crucial companies investing on British soil. This glove was made by Macron, condemning efforts to tip the scales in favour of selected British companies at the expense of EU-loved Single marketplace rules.
Secondly, they sought to deprive the British of hope that they would be able to usage the common EU institutions and thus power their City. Tusk set up a squad to guarantee that the final brexit agreement harms those British financiers who do not want to transfer much of their portfolio, staff and investment to the EU. Tusk told the British bankers that after the brexit, “life will change for them”.
Thirdly, all 3 of them wanted to repaint the British as the misguided opponents of the EU's sacred rule of freedom of movement. Barnier repeatedly told the British negotiators that Britain would proceed to benefit from duty-free trade with the EU, but only on condition that it abandoned the absurd request to regain control of its borders. Not long enough, due to the fact that in June 2024, Barnier definitely reminded: "There will be no renegotiation of the brexit without freedom of movement".
Today, however, all 3 guards of EU unity changed their tune. They talk the same language as the brexitivists they were expected to fight, and they have the same policy.
First, the pretending that they are defending equal opportunities for companies across Europe ended. In view of the stagnation caused by the pandemic, France and Germany have applied for their right to grant state aid. Macron stated: "In fresh years in Europe, the consequence has been to let flexibility at national level [in the form of] State aid". Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pressed the muscles of his government to lock The full legal takeover of the Commerzbank by the Italian UniCredit has undermined the anticipation of an EU single financial market.
The spectacular conversion of the another 2 men is much more worrying. Tusk discovered an interior brexite within himself and seemingly forgot what an evil is the desire to control its own borders by an EU associate State. present as Polish Prime Minister Tusk promises "regain 100% control of national borders“ demanding the release of Poland (à la United Kingdom) from the work to accept the minimum number of asylum seekers agreed by the Union.
Tusk went even further, suspending the right to asylum in Poland for persons crossing the border from Belarus and Russia. This is not only a violation of the principles of the European Union, but besides a failure to fulfil the obligations of Poland towards global law and the European Court of Human Rights – indeed a customary object of the reluctance of the brexite.
Barnier, present the Prime Minister of France, does not want to be worse than Tusk. It is headed by a number government, consisting of mute support for Eurosceptic, xenophobic Marine Le Pen and its National Assembly. It seeks immunity from the jurisdiction of European courts so that France can deport whom it wants and even introduce a legal ban any immigration outside the EU.
What happened? How did EU guards become split-up? The answer is mainly due to the fragile economical foundations of Europe. The renationalisation policy returned to favors as the joint union tightening task lost its shine. Almost 20 years underinvestment helped the centrifugal forces, tearing apart Europe. The spirit of brexit rose over Europe – from Paris to Warsaw.
Since the pandemic, EU exports to China have fallen while the US has almost doubled imports from Europe. The European Union is full dependent on American fuels, weapons and external demand. If Donald Trump fulfills the electoral promises and introduces customs duties on EU imports, Europe faces even more stagnation and fragmentation.
This is the tragic allegation against Europe's leaders: they have long opposed the average but fundamental political reforms of the EU that they have guaranteed its disintegration. In full support of the common needs of Europe (for example green large-scale investments), without any interest in collecting the essential common resources, they have become the Union's most damaging saboteurs. And now the spirit of brexitu has returned and seeks revenge.
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Copyright: task Syndicate, 2024. www.project-syncicate.org. In English she translated Aleksandra Paszkowska.
