Thirteen of the
\nmost prominent British scientists have announced their support for the campaign
\nin favour of Britain’s staying in the EU, ahead of an in-out referendum on June
\n23rd. They argue that with the UK out of the European bloc, the
\nresearch field would stand to lose. In an open letter published by The
\nTelegraph, several Nobel Prize winners say the EU membership enables scientists
\nto move freely and cooperate in ways that might otherwise be impossible. The EU
\nfunding for the field would also be withdrawn if Britain left the Union, and
\ntherefore the country’s scientific research would be affected. This is just one
\nof the many areas on which a prospective Brexit would have an impact, and the
\nconsequences are hard to predict. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We asked the
\nRomanian foreign policy analyst Iulian Chifu how a pro-Brexit vote could be
\nunderstood:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
It would be a
\nterrible signal, not necessarily in terms of the British exceptionalism, but
\nrather in terms of the model that the UK would thus set across the EU. I’ve
\nseen an opinion poll in the Netherlands, and there, too, 38% of respondents say
\nthey would like a referendum on whether their country should stay in the EU, as
\nopposed to 28% who don’t. Similar trends have been reported elsewhere as well.
\nSomeone said voices to leave the Union have even been heard in Central Europe,
\nin countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, which are
\nthe main beneficiaries of European integration. So I think the key danger is a
\nprospective domino effect. On the other hand, we should not overlook the fact
\nthat the EU is a common economic area and it will be very hard for Britain to
\nmanage an exit formula while still remaining a part of this economic area.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
According to the
\nlatest polls run in the UK, the number of voters supporting Brexit is on the
\nrise, reaching 53% of the number of respondents who have already made up their
\nminds regarding the referendum. Iulian Chifu mentions however another argument
\nthat would persuade Britons to stay in the EU after all:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
There are, in
\nthe UK, at least a number of regions that are totally dependant on European
\nfunds, such as Scotland and Wales. So in this respect, if Britain leaves the EU
\nthere are several problems that will surface again, such as Scottish
\nseparatism, which opposes Brexit, and also separatism in the poorer areas of
\nthe country that depend on funds which Britain is unable to provide, and which
\nare needed to compensate for specific local jobs in the field of agriculture,
\nanimal breeding and in other sectors supported exclusively by EU funds.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
If Brexit
\nbecomes reality, there are possible regional and global consequences to be
\nexpected. Iulian Chifu:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The impact of a
\nprospective Brexit could even be bigger than that, because there is the danger
\nof a domino effect. Brexit would also have a consequence in matters related to
\nsecurity. Britain and all EU countries would be at risk in this respect, as a
\nbreach will be created right at the heart of the Euro-Atlantic and
\ntransatlantic structure. There will also be consequences at economic level, but
\nalso in terms of the credibility of the EU integration formula. The single
\nmarket will probably continue to exist, but many of the additional integration
\nmechanisms in various categories of policies will be shattered. We have already
\nseen that the future of the Schengen area has been questioned so other
\nintegrationist projects would be put on standby, replaced or even eliminated. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Can the impact
\nof a prospective Brexit be as big as to generate the dissolution of the EU? In
\nthe opinion of Iulian Chifu, this would be impossible:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
I think the
\nEU’s dismantling is impossible at the moment, as it would have negative effects
\nfor all its members, including Britain. So in terms of common economic area and
\nborder union, there are slim chances for any of the member states to withdraw,
\nas this would involve huge costs for each of them. I also doubt that the
\nprojects that Britain is not a part of, such as the single currency and the
\nfree movement area, might be affected. Of course, there are several risks in
\nthis respect as well, but they are strictly hypothetical.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
According to
\nIulian Chifu, a clear signal such as London’s electing its first Muslim mayor,
\nclearly shows that Britain is more open to multiculturalism than to
\nautarchy. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Next week, Britain votes to leave or stay in the European Union.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":69038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43939],"tags":[14005],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-155508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-future-starts-today","tag-brexit"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n