One can look at the Brexit topic from two different perspectives. In a narrow sense, Brexit can be defined as a crisis in the United Kingdom – European Union relations. The drastic transformation occurred between the vote in June 2016 and the UK’s formal exit from the EU on January 31, 2020 (Davies, 2022). Brexit left a profound political and economic impact on both parties. In particular, the UK drove itself into a difficult economic situation by leaving a single free market. New customs tariffs, certificates of inspection, and the added volume of bureaucracy increased the costs of trade for the UK enterprises, forcing them to search for alternative markets (Flach, 2022). Therefore, the Brexit critics claim that the UK government bought sovereignty over the borders at the high cost of surrendering its influence in Europe (The Week, 2022). However, I would like to argue that Brexit should be perceived as a truly fateful event that challenged the balance of power in contemporary European politics. The UK might have lost economic benefits, but the EU could potentially lose its future.
In this regard, I will search for scholarly sources and periodicals that evaluate Brexit’s impact on the EU internal stability and strength of European integration. For instance, Hobolt et al. (2022) argue that Brexit may affect European integration in several ways. Firstly, the potential economic success of the post-Brexit UK may lower citizen support for EU membership. Secondly, the Eurosceptic politicians may find inspiration in the UK example and mobilize the European nations against the supranational authority of the EU. Lastly, pro-European messages of economic risks appeared to be less powerful than the pro-sovereignty rhetoric (Hobolt et al., 2022). Given these findings, I perceive Brexit as a crucial benchmark, a true test for the EU’s political resilience.
References
Davies, N. (2022). Brexit, two years on – So far, so bad. Investment Monitor. Web.
Flach, L. (2022). Brexit’s effects on UK trade are dramatic – But we feel them in the EU too. The Guardian.
Hobolt, S. B., Popa, S. A., Van der Brug, W., & Schmitt, H. (2022). The Brexit deterrent? How member state exit shapes public support for the European Union.European Union Politics, 23(1), 100-119.
The Week. (2022). Brexit: the pros and cons of leaving the EU.