The EU’S flaws are ever more crippling
Four years ago tomorrow, the United Kingdom left the European Union and arguments continue over the wisdom of the decision. Many Remainers claim that this should be measured by difficulties at the borders, higher non-eu immigration, and the failure of the Government to make the best of new regulatory freedoms to free up trade.
But the reasons for people voting to leave were not just economic. Some objected to the undemocratic nature of the EU and its direction of travel towards the creation of a superstate. The long-term vision of the EU was set out in the so-called Five Presidents report in 2015, which envisaged more sharing of sovereignty, deeper integration, greater economic convergence and regulatory harmonisation.
This would apply to countries in the eurozone, which did not include the UK. But had we voted to stay, we would have been under massive pressure to join.
The counterfactual of a decision to remain in the EU will never be known, but it was unlikely to involve a steady state. There would have been implications for this country’s membership, with any reluctance to integrate further certain to cause friction.
We are seeing this with member states that refuse to obey the agreed line. Plans have been drawn up to punish Hungary by undermining its currency and economy if the government in Budapest blocks a €50billion support package for Ukraine. Whatever we think of Viktor Orban’s stance towards Kyiv, it is remarkable that the EU would contemplate threatening a sovereign state with deliberate sabotage to force it into line.
Hungary may be particularly vulnerable because its economy is heavily reliant on the single market and it is a big recipient of EU structural funds. Several EU states even want Hungary stripped of its voting rights for exercising its veto, a power it apparently possesses in name only.
The latest proposal from Budapest is to agree to the money for Ukraine but only on an annual basis, which is a recipe for a yearly row. This episode shows the ineffectiveness of EU efforts to shape a foreign and defence policy even where part of Europe is under attack.
Britain was able to take an independent position on Ukraine and was among the first to offer help to repel the Russian attack two years ago. The EU can only move at the speed of its slowest member.