An EU Without Great Britain?

Will Great Britain be the first EU member to leave the Union? The Brits did not envision this when they joined the European Economic Community four decades ago. Countries in the eurozone now want to move closer together and agree to a fiscal union in order to overcome the debt crisis and stabilize the common currency. But the louder calls for “more Europe” get in continental Europe, the more Britain seem to want the opposite.

The EU is a Cost-Benefit Issue for Britain

Great Britain hopes that it can avoid participating in the costs of saving the euro as much as possible, that it can commit to the least amount of political commitments with Brussels, and that it can reduce its contributions as a “net payer” to the EU budget as much as it can. For the Brits, EU membership is above all a cost-benefit consideration. The country joined the Community in 1973 for economic reasons and wants to continue to profit from the advantages of the large common market. But since their accession to the EU, the British think that the Union has undertaken too many integration steps, explained Quentin Peel, who encapsulated the British attitude toward the EU: “The Brits always wanted to be a part of Europe, but it has never existed in the form that they want.”

The British Debate on Europe: The Merging of Fact and Fiction

The EU thus increasingly became an object of criticism in Great Britain. Peel said that distancing oneself from Brussels is common for all political parties. He emphasized the importance of the euroskeptic British press, which usually paints a very dark picture of the EU. Fact and fiction have long since merged beyond recognition. The British government is also under considerable domestic pressure to appear tough in Brussels, and London has barely any freedom of action when it comes to European affairs.

Current Discussions Ignore the Consequences of Withdrawal

Could the British soon vote on their country's EU membership? The majority of citizens want a new referendum because the Union has changed so dramatically since the vote to join in the 1970s. The right-wing of the Conservative Party is also pressuring the government to do this. “A withdrawal is avoidable, but it certainly could happen,” Quentin Peel revealed. “More and more Brits see this as preferable.” British politicians largely agree that there needs to be a new basis for the country's relationship with the EU and that the conditions for membership need to be re-negotiated. London is now reviewing every EU treaty to see if any authority can be restored to the national level.

What course will Prime Minister David Cameron follow? David Charter, author of the book Au Revoir, Europe—What if Britain Left the EU?, said: “London is anxiously awaiting for Cameron to take a firm stand on the issue of a referendum—when, how, and what will be voted on.” An address has been postponed multiple times and is now expected for the beginning of January. But Peel said that the consequences of withdrawal have been completely ignored in current discussions.

Not Excluding London

Almut Möller pointed out that the situation is much more complicated than it is often described and cannot be characterized as “all against one.” Great Britain has indeed distanced itself from the eurozone, but even countries such as Poland and Sweden feel marginalized at the moment. While the eurozone needs to progress due to pressure from the crisis, they fear being held accountable politically. Keeping Great Britain on board is particularly difficult at the moment, but not impossible.

Möller thinks that Europe needs to heed British sensibilities regarding “more Europe” and give London more points of contact beyond the euro. Certain fields of action such as security and defense policy are unthinkable without Great Britain. But one cannot only move within the framework of existing formats and treaties. “There are many different varieties of cooperation for Europeans, and the Brits could be given choices here.” As with the eurozone, any field could start with some countries that lead the way and others that remain outside. But it is in Germany's interests to prevent these gaps from becoming too large.

Podium

David Charter, Berlin correspondent, The Times

Almut Möller, head of the Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies at the DGAP

Quentin Peel, Germany correspondent and associate editor, Financial Times

Eberhard Sandschneider, moderator and Otto Wolff Director of the DGAP Research Institute