Britannia

A little less than two years ago, the result of the Brexit referendum in the UK was met with disbelief in Brussels, especially by the Brits themselves who had made Brussels their home. But now, or so it seems, the idea that the UK is indeed leaving is set

The EU is a club and it does have its exit clause, which has indeed been triggered by the UK to leave

There is a feeling in Brussels that Brexit is happening, unless the UK or the EU parliaments stop it or there is another referendum. However, the boat has clearly sailed – even though some people, like former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and John Major, want to stop it. There is indeed political will on both sides of the channel for the boat to arrive at its destination.

“We have to respect the democratic decision of the British people,” is the typical response one normally gets from EU mandarins. This is not to say that there is glee and celebration on the EU side that Britain is leaving; quite the opposite! Brexit is seen by many as a pungent reminder that the EU needs to reform in order to survive in a fast-changing world.

Britain is willing to face the changing world on its own. In any club, you are a member for only as long as you want to be. You are free to leave the minute you decide to do so. The EU is a club and it does have its exit clause, which has indeed been triggered by the UK to leave. The EU respects that decision but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the EU is happy that a key member is leaving. It is not. I have never ever met anyone of any nationality working with the EU institutions who says that he/she is happy that the UK is leaving.

It is indeed sad. Those Brits working in the EU institutions for the past 30 or 40 years have literally built their professional careers around the idea of uniting Europe after two ravaging wars that left the continent crippled for much of the 20th century.

It is almost an ideological belief for many working in Brussels, whose fathers fought in the Second World War and who had sworn to themselves that these things would never happen again. They swore to God that they would work incessantly for peace in Europe. This is how the EU came to birth. The idea for a united Europe gained traction among the ashes of the Second World War. The idea had been around for decades before that, but as Europe was reeling from the devastation of a second global conflict, the will of the people to unite was simply there. The horrors of war brought the importance of unity in Europe into sharp relief.

The bottom line in everything we do is ‘will’ – the will-power to arrive at the destination. Now the political will from the UK side is to part ways in an orderly and amicable way. The EU has acquiesced to this but is determined to safeguard its own interests. There is nothing wrong in that, except that it has left many disillusioned, especially the older generations.

Just imagine for a second that you spend 40 years building an edifice and one fine day you see it crumbling down in seconds. For these people, it is very, very, sad, painful and injurious to the best objective interests of both Britain and the EU.

I for one am very glad that I worked at the European Parlia- ment because I can identify myself with the democratic values upheld by the EU.

Now, the EU is not perfect and it will never be. It does need reform but it is certainly a beacon of democracy, a ray of hope and an oasis of peace in the sea of conflict and chaos surrounding it. The increasing number of countries knocking on the EU’s door wanting to join the club is testament to this.