Brexit: a wake-up call for Europe

A clear majority of Brits has chosen for Brexit, and thus for a departure from the European Union. A meagre 52% voted for such an exit, while 48% indicated their preference for remaining in the EU. The N-VA delegation at the European Parliament has again called for the choice of the British voters to be respected. Minister-President Geert Bourgeois, also mirrors this sentiment, while at the same time pleading for pragmatic action in the interest of our prosperity and our Flemish jobs. “It is now that we must strive for a Brexit that is as gentle as possible” he states. “That means the European Union and the United Kingdom must enter into a new and as far-reaching a free trade agreement possible, ideally without any customs duties and without any other non-tariff trade barriers.”

“According to the European treaties, the British-European divorce must be completed within two years,” European Parliament member Helga Stevens says. “Currently, the United Kingdom is our fourth most important trade partner, good for ten thousand jobs in Flanders. It is thus in our best interest to continue maintaining excellent relations with them. It would be utterly irresponsible to reduce ourselves to petty acts of revenge. It was a democratic decision to which we should respond in a mature way.”

Not good for the European Union

European delegation chairman Mark Demesmaeker also warns against a spirit of revenge: “Whoever is currently celebrating the Brits having been shunted to the side lines, in the hope that an unlimited European integration will become possible, has lost all touch with reality. Nobody is sitting around waiting for unrealistic European pipe dreams.” However, his colleague Sander Loones has found that some europhile politicians still can’t embrace the truth: “From this result they deduce that we ought to take a great leap forward toward a European supra state. They are mistaken. Grumbling can also be heard from citizens in Flanders, the Netherlands and the rest of the Union. What the EU does need, is the strong euro-realistic reforms that the N-VA is proposing, so that we finally arrive at a European Union that sets clear boundaries, speaks clearly, and keeps its promises. And so we must, for example, tackle the asylum crisis and the Social security Social security is currently managed at the Federal level in Belgium. The most important pillars of Belgian social security are: sickness and invalidity insurance (NIDHI), pensions, unemployment insurance and child allowances. In addition, occupational illness, occupational accidents and annual holidays are dealt with at this level. Some Flemish parties have been campaigning for years for (large parts of) social security to be transferred to the Regions and Communities. social security migration issue; we must be rid of already overly detailed European interference, and also grant strong and responsible member states an important role.”

The N-VA is far from being alone in this analysis, Anneleen Van Bossuyt notes, even though her party has now lost a strong ally in the European Union. “It is obvious that we must invest in a network of like-minded parties in different member states now, more than ever. This way together we will bring the voice of reason more to the fore in the European Union. It already inspires hope that European Council President Donald Tusk recently expressed himself as a convinced Eurorealist. He will find a strong partner in the N-VA for the strong reforms that have lagged behind for far too long already.”

Not good for Flanders

“The United Kingdom offers significant added value for Europe on a political and economic level,” Minister-President Geert Bourgeois also acknowledges. “But cultural and political ties between the Brits and the Flemish people are also old and strong. For centuries they have led to the creation of prosperity and security for both of us. We have been allies in good times and bad. Fallen British soldiers in both world wars are the most recent evidence of this. Especially for sectors that Flanders excels in, such as the food and textile industries, it is of crucial importance that trade across the Channel continues to flourish.”