Since the euro-based austerity crises visited on Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy – followed by the refugee crises causing Schengen alarm bells to ring loudly across most EU states – then Brexit – and now elections in France and Germany raising increasingly important national sovereignty issues there – the likelihood is the EU, as constituted, will not last much longer
Add to this mix the sclerotic performance of most EU economies, their lack of agreement over foreign and defence policies, the niggling irritation with the power and expenses of unelected powerbrokers in Brussels or judges meddling in matters which have nothing to do with ‘level-playing-field’ markets and you have a recipe for widespread disillusion with the EU
Radical EU reform has thus become a ‘must’ for at least 50% of the overall population but no alternative visions have been proposed/ publicised to date – and most of the current top players have too much vested interest to seek major change
Hence, it’s for outsiders to propose a new acceptable-to-all EU format i.e. a USE – a United States of Europe – a federation of independent states which the majority in the UK would also be keen to join – one where each member state might:
- Regain its national sovereignty
- Determine its own laws, foreign and defence policies
- Drop the euro and re-establish its own currency
- Control its own borders and immigration levels
- Agree new trading rules for a ‘common market’ whilst not discouraging access for undeveloped nations nor competition from the rest of the world
- Collaborate in such public service areas as social security, health. education, defence, transport and R&D – to improve lives everywhere
It’s surely only a matter of time before such a USE is formed
And if one seems ‘on the cards’ before 2020, Brexit negotiations most probably would be halted and the UK willingly become a member state instead