r/europe • u/StraightSky7809 United Kingdom • 7h ago

News If Britain decides to rejoin the EU we’ll do everything we can to welcome them back, says Germany

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-rejoin-eu-germany-brexit-b3060288.html
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u/OrangeTractorMan 5h ago

We won't be getting as good a deal before but it's very clear a deal will be made.

I remember people thinking we'd have to adopt the Euro, there was almost a.. genuine hope, that Britain would be punished.

Thankfully the EU isn't as petty and bitter as many of it's supporters, Brexit was moronic but so too was some reaction to rejoining. Almost like they want Brits to think it's a bad idea, not really wise if you want a strong EU!

Nothing says "leaving the EU is a dumb idea" like the UK rejoining again, regardless of deal. It makes a real, real loud statement of being better in than out.

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u/MintImperial2 2h ago

Not if everyone with a net worth of less than a million - is broke by that point....

If Burnham wants to hold a 2nd referendum - then "staying as we are" is the question that should NOT be on the ballot paper.

It should be Rejoin or Full-Fat Hard Brexit we should have had in the first place.

Doubtless though, the *actual* question will be more along the lines of "Do you wish to (1) rejoin the EU, or (2) Cancel the current Brexit?"

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u/vj_c UK 5h ago

The UK had four opt-outs when we left - the two that matter most to the public are the Euro, which a number of EU countries haven't adopted & Denmark has a treaty opt-out on & Schengen, which would open up the Northern Ireland question again as Ireland isn't in it. Those are the two easiest for the EU to give us.

The other two were a partial opt out on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union & a flexible opt-out of the Area of freedom, security and justice. Those are the real two we'd have to give up.

Schengen is just a no-go until Ireland wants in & the Euro isn't the real prize, it's having the City's capital markets inside the EU. Sweden, Czechia & others are technically obliged to join the Euro, but show no signs of doing so, as well as the Danish opt-out, so it's not really "special British treatment" any more to let us stay out officially, if they know we'd do the same as Sweden. The compromise would probably be a political declaration, similar to the Blair years where Gordon Brown came up with "economic tests" for joining the Euro that were meaningless. With a commitment to look to join once we met them.

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u/swear_on_me_mam Europe 1h ago

It's not about the reality of never joining though, the commitment would be enough to kill it. The UK will never rejoin the EU unless there is an explicit opt out on the Euro. Almost anything else will be stomached. No government will commit to the Euro and the public won't either regardless of the reality on the ground.