UK referendum - After the storm everyone has urgent work to do

We are on the verge of a new relationship between the EU and the UK and as a result it is also a time to envisage a new EU. As with any new situation, fear of the unknown is not far away. This is not the ideal environment in which to embark on a new path but it is the reality we must work with. And we need to get cracking because uncertainty amplifies an adverse scenario.

I will hide nothing. I had hoped for a different outcome and, having worked with many British colleagues, the result saddens me deeply. I believe the UK and the EU are stronger together.  And I believe that the views of the ‘48%’ must not be disregarded. But I must also acknowledge that a majority of voters chose to leave the EU in the referendum.  A referendum which was clearly painted by Prime Minister Cameron and others as one which would decide the issue of the EU once and for all. The result is there, and no ‘undo’ button is available to wipe it off.  Indeed, attempting to do so risks causing unfathomable damage for a long period, both in the UK and in the rest of Europe.

Some pause for reflection will be necessary. This both to allow Britain’s political landscape to settle and to allow the shamefully plan-less leave campaigners to come up with a plan to go forwards. However, this time-out must be short. The EU has crucial issues to address which a state of limbo makes difficult, and the UK needs to reunite its people and provide economic certainty, both of which are next to impossible if limbo persists.

Now that the country has full clarity on its new Prime Minister, after Summer I expect the British government to notify its intention to withdraw the UK from the EU and talks must then start without rancour. The UK should not be treated as a deserter but as a family member who is still loved but has decided to go in another direction.  There is no intention to ensure that the UK receives a bad deal but it is clear that there can be no better deal with the EU than EU membership.  The EU moreover must look out for its members’ interests and uphold its founding principles. The single market for example entails four freedoms (capital, goods, services, persons) and not three or three and a half.  

Negotiations must be concluded swiftly. The world will not wait idly by as Europeans navel gaze.  Both the UK and the EU need to quickly turn the page and focus on people’s needs and geo-political challenges. The European Parliament, which must consent to the withdrawal agreement, will contribute constructively to the negotiations. Its views need to receive the utmost consideration, without which there could be no deal and the UK would be forced into a WTO-style relationship which is neither in the interest of the UK or the EU.

The EU for its part can never be the same again. We must learn from the result of the referendum, while on the other hand not over-interpret it. For decades the tabloids have performed mass brainwashing and the leave campaign force-fed intolerance of the foreigner. No change to the EU will convince those who have fallen victim to these actors. A bonfire of the EU is therefore not the way forwards. However, many who voted ‘leave’ did so because they have been left behind.  They want to turn the clock back to a time when they were not marginalised.  This profile is common across Europe and deserves our full attention. The EU is not the cause for their marginalisation, but it can be part of the solution.

But, and this is a very important ‘but’, the EU cannot play this part without wholehearted support from its Member States. The EU is to a large extent what goes on in and between national governments. It is an open space for decision making in which actors from all over Europe play a role.

This EU space is certainly in need of reform but, more importantly, it needs a reset. Semantics are important because whereas ‘reform’ is nearly a cliché, ‘reset’ points to a fresh start. This fresh start would first and foremost re-commit the EU as a tool to deliver what people need.  60 years ago it was peace and tolerance. Today it is about safeguarding wellbeing, social justice, and protecting our values in a globalised world.  Secondly, rather than persevering in the futile and fractious debate of intergovernmentalism versus federalism, big decisions should be taken on what instruments to give the EU to deliver.

 Is this a pipe dream? The latest Eurobarometer survey shows that support for the EU remains high and is a clear sign that there is appetite for this ‘reset’ concept. It is high time for European governments to hear this message and deliver on citizens’ expectations.

This is an opinion which I penned in July for the Guardian on the implications of the EU membership referendum in the UK.