MEPs debate Brexit’s impact on Europe ten years after the referendum
Ten years after the UK voted to leave the European Union, MEPs are discussing Brexit’s impact on European unity and the possibility of the UK’s return to the bloc.
Brexit has intensified discussions on the EU’s cohesion, influencing public sentiment and potentially shaping future alliances within the bloc, as evidenced by varied MEP perspectives on its consequences.
“Leaving the EU was a total disaster for the UK; there is nobody looking to leave the European Union anymore,” stated Irish MEP Barry Andrews.
Has Brexit made Europe stronger or weaker? MEPs go face-to-face on The Ring
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Ten years after the UK voted to exit the European Union, the debate over Brexit’s legacy is far from over. MEPs Barry Andrews (Renew Europe) and Sander Smit (European Conservatives & Reformists) go head-to-head on whether Brexit has strengthened or weakened Europe—and whether Britain could or should one day return to the bloc.
For Irish MEP Barry Andrews, the answer is clear. He argues that leaving the EU was a mistake and a “total disaster” for the UK, pointing to years of political instability and economic challenges since the referendum. He also contends that Brexit has ultimately strengthened support for the European project, stating that “there is nobody looking to leave the European Union anymore.”
Dutch MEP Sander Smit takes a different view, saying the EU still misses “the UK’s crucial voice for fiscal and financial discipline” and warning against a more centralised Europe. “Our future lies in a stronger partnership,” he says. “Let the UK and EU countries move beyond the past and work together as natural, sovereign allies.”
The Ring is hosted by Méabh Mc Mahon, produced by Luis Albertos Altarejos and Amaia Echevarria, and edited by Vassilis Glynos.
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