This includes the opt outs and the rebate.
What sort of guarantees would you want from a re-entering UK? Do you want the UK back in the first time (if they were willing)?
This includes the opt outs and the rebate.
What sort of guarantees would you want from a re-entering UK? Do you want the UK back in the first time (if they were willing)?
Comments
This would never happen in a million years because Brussels would be eager to extract their pound of flesh.
you made your bed. and besides, even if you did somehow magically join again, you’d leave again eventually, because Brits don’t consider themselves European.
I want them back but old deal should be off the table. Part of the problem was that they thought they are different and better than the rest of us. If they want back in, they need to understand that its not the case. No more special treatment. You are one of us, you play by the same rules and fully parcitipate or … respectfully, stay where you are.
Anyone can make mistakes. The pragmatic, grown up, POV here is that Europe is stronger together, so yes.
Old deal would be a non-starter. Should they wish to rejoin, it should be as ordinary members with no exceptions, ifs, asterisks, etc.
If the UK populace has learned from how they were manipulated into voting to Leave (we saw how false the lies were and how little the electorate understood the issues) then by all means: get rid of those pesky customs checks and new visa requirements. Everyone benefits.
Nope. Tbh the UK has lost much more from Brexit than the EU, so I’d expect more leverage from the EU. If they’re ever back, I’d expect no opt out, no rebate, Schengen and adopting the Euro. Like what is expected from everyone else.
Yes. What would be the reason not to except for some kind of “punishment”? UK in EU is better for both sides. However I hope the process would not start until there is a really solid majority for rejoining to avoid “revolving door”
Doubt it would be as good on the rebate. But the EU is always ready to do a deal. I’d say the UK could get an agreement to not have to use the euro for the foreseeable.
But the UK would have to sign up to the ever closer union clause anyway. It’s not a credible scenario that the UK is ready to committ to that. The EU is not a port to shelter in when times get tough and leave when things look better.
Brexit consumed five years of energy the EU should have put into eastern europe and providing things like the banking union, and more standardization rules etc.
Look, I know nothing about politics or economics or anything. All I know is that there are some unis in the UK that I would like to attend but I would like a discount like other EU countries offer. So, if the UK wants to rejoin the EU, I will welcome them back easily.
I think a Europe of different speeds is, while I don’t support it, a necessity. Especially with further integration (see eastward towards Moldova and Ukraine and with the Balkans), it’s clear not everyone will want to participate in everything. (The rebate is not something I know much about, but it seems that it could be pretty easily stopped)
But I would say the details of any new accession by the UK are not that relevant to me. I would care more about the UK parties’ political committment to European integration.
Yes, because Russia, China and the US are acute threats and we can’t afford petty revenge when there’s far worse things coming.
French national: nope.
Always exceptions left and right.
Let the UK keep the sterling if they want, but everything else: member state like all others.
I don’t think the UK will rejoin or want to in the next 10 or 15 years so the issue should not happen.
Not a chance. No concessions whatsoever. We need a UK that is fully in and isn’t a trouble maker like last time. We are currently better off than we were before when they were in, we’re not going back to that.
I guess it depends if, and how much, the EU wants the UK back in it because even some ardent Remainers like myself are not interested in rejoining on the standard terms.
It was a mistake to leave but a mistake made because dealing with the EU was difficult and the Leave propaganda machine seized on that whilst seasoning with their own brand of outright lies.
No.
If they want back in, they have to come back in as any other new entrant. They have to sign a treaty to join Schengen, and join the Euro.
No rebate either.
If they want in, they can do it properly.
No more opt outs.
I would like the UK back, even with their old agreements. A lot of people will say that the UK needs the EU more and it’s not special etc, but the reality is that the UK is a very important partner to have. Not only because of their military, economy etc. But because they have tremendous soft power, they have a UN council seat etc. It strengthens the union. The UK does amazingly well in the science fields, innovation, entrepreneurship etc
Nope.
Brexit was their farewell to special treatment.
They are welcome back any time, but on normal terms like any other country.
If it was up to me, yes of course. UK was in the EU for almoust 50 years, so they would need 5 minutes to re-adjust.
Short answer: no.
Long answer: dealing with all the exceptions of the UK membership was quite cumbersome and ultimately expensive. Also, a clear message must pass: no cherry-picking of the EU treaties is possible for new members.
Yes but not with a 51-49 vote. We have enough trouble with disagreements like that with Hungary or Poland. Being a member of the EU is a constitutional issue, which requires wide-ranging support, and uncertainty in that is not acceptable.
>Would you let the UK back in the EU under their old agreement?
>This includes the opt outs and the rebate.
I would like for them to rejoin, but no opt-outs. Rebates is a different beast and should never be permanent.
>What sort of guarantees would you want from a re-entering UK? Do you want the UK back in the first time (if they were willing)?
Adopt the Euro
idk what the old deal was, but the only reason I want them back is so that it makes it easier and no import tax to order products from the UK.
lol, no. They are welcome back at any point. But they willfully gave up their sweetheart deal, they don’t get to pull a my bad and get it back.
Same deal as everyone else.
If they really want them back, I’m all for it. For for the whole deal. No half measures. I hate their snob attitude that they think they are different. They either join as a proper member of the EU+Eurozone+Schengen+everything or not at all.
100%. Europe is stronger united. Pettiness and politics aside, the UK is of tremendous value. Strongest military in Europe; strongest growth of any major European economy; one of the biggest economies in Europe; one of the best education systems in the world; punches far above its weight in terms of innovation and industry; enormous soft power globally. The problem is some people’s attitudes in the country.
After the use of Romanian and Bulgarian workers as a cannon fodder and scapegoats to justify Brexit, my answer, as a Romanian, is NO.
NO, NO, NO, No, NO, NO
No.
If the UK is to a part of the EU they have to be committed members who share the aims of the EU.
The old deal was just an official status of being uncommitted to the EU. If we let them back in under the same conditions they would cause problems all over again and eventually leave again once enough time had passed.
Yes I would. We’re better united and we could all make stupid mistakes. It’s not like we didn’t have our own Frexit morons at home. Refusing the UK back, or their old agreement, out of spite isn’t useful at all.
So if we take the U.K. back with no exceptions does that mean we’ll actually go after the French for breaching EU budget rules? The French were never fans of the U.K. in the EU and I imagine they are pretty chuffed the U.K. is out.
As other have said, they should other as new member with all that that entails. But I would prefer the UK back with their old agreement than no UK in the EU.
I’ve lived in the UK most of my adult life as an EU citizen. The answer is: No.
The citizens voted for Brexit and this made the situation really simple:
A) You don’t come back in and get to try and regain some of the many benefits of being in back by grovelling and paying the fair price for doing so.
B) You come back in under the exact same terms as other new entrants to the EU.
C) You realise you were a complete fucking idiot and you don’t just rejoin, but fully embrace the project and finally work to make it work.
No. If they ever return, than without any opt-outs. They must participate in Schengen, ditch the pound, no rebates, etc.
But, more importantly, the long term future should indicate a willingness of the UK to stay in. The shift towards the Reform UK party in this weeks elections does not give me any indication this is the case. Nor does Labour attitude towards Brexit.
I can’t see us ever rejoining the EU if we have to give up the £.
I think the best we can hope for is entry to the Single Market and Customs Union.
I really do not think this would happen in my lifetime at least. Maybe some sort of thing like what Switzerland has where it opts in/out of parts of the EU without fully integrating, but even then, not for a while. I don’t think Brussels would stand for that. I don’t even think Brussels expected the UK to vote for that.
Views aside of whether Brexit was good or bad (and most Reddit users are much more anti-brexit than people I know where the opinion is more evenly split), it’s no surprise the UK left. The EU was pressing on the UK about adopting the euro, understandably because it was a pain dealing with the UK who has a different currency which they’re not willing to give up.
Trust me, we do not feel a sense of European identity like much of the rest of Europe does. Obviously, British people are European, but the identity isn’t strong.
Also, things didn’t actually turn out as bad as people thought they would. Some thought we would become some nuclear fallout wasteland. Maybe we have gained and missed out in some parts, but so far, little impact on our everyday lives. Probably the same thing if we remained.
The problem is that no country should be allowed to enter, then leave, then again let them back, but half of the country want to leave again. I donot think that the UK should be punished, i would not even mind the old agreement, who cares, but there is no clear pro EU majority in the UK.
LOL no. hell not even convinced the uk should be able to rejoin via the fast lane. they should follow procedure like every other nation wanting to join the european union
Nope. Those special agreements and the sense of superiority that they created is what caused Brexit in the first place. They will either join and fully commit to the EU project or they should stay out.
As a Brit, I want to return to the EU without any special treatment or opt-outs.
If there was a strong enough consensus to re-join both among the public and that transferred to the rhetoric and election manifestos of the main centre-left and centre-right parties (Labour and Conservatives, although currently Labour doesn’t feel very social democratic and the Conservatives feel more right-wing than centre-right right now) then I imagine that while an agreement to eventually join the Eurozone as required would be signed in order to join the EU, following governments may sabotage the UK’s eligibility to join the Eurozone by doing something (or not doing something) to avoid all 5 convergence criteria compliance (or take a long time to converge).
As for the Schengen area, things at first would remain as they currently are (Common Travel Area between the UK and the Republic of Ireland) but with British citizens regaining freedom of movement into all other EU countries while still needing to present a passport (since we don’t have national ID cards) just like we did when we were EU members. EU citizens would be able to enter the UK on both passports and their national ID cards again and neither ETIAS for Brits or ETA for EU & EEA citizens (excluding Irish citizens) would be needed to get from the UK to the Schengen Area or the Schengen Area to the UK. There is the possibility of EU states enacting transitional periods for FoM for Brits to live and work visa-free (from 2 years up to another 3 and then possibly another 2) though. CURRENTLY, Ireland is the only EU nation that holds an opt-out on membership of the Schengen area because of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland and the necessity to keep a borderless island of Ireland between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. If the UK re-joins the EU, the UK will not hold its previous Schengen opt-out and that will leave the UK and Ireland’s fate in Ireland’s hands. I am hoping that the Irish government will turn to the UK’s government and declare a desire for Ireland to join the Schengen Area and by default, it would have to take the UK with it to do so. I REALLY hope the UK and Ireland joins the Schengen Area. The UK will need national biometric ID cards if it were to join Schengen – as would Ireland (although Irish passport cards already exist) and I am pro-ID card (just anti-penalty for not holding one on one’s person if just out in public).
Train travel from the UK to Europe would become much more convenient if the UK (and Ireland) joined the Schengen area due juxtaposed border control officers no longer being necessary. Routes between the UK and the EU could extend beyond France and BeNeLux, with international night trains from and to the UK becoming viable through the Channel Tunnel. British and Irish airports would need to remodel the interior of their terminals and which airlines park where in order to make larger domestic/Schengen sections of existing terminals while segregating other international flights from outside the Schengen Area but that wouldn’t take too many years to remodel if Schengen membership was known to be incoming.
TL;DR – I’m pro-Eurozone in order for the UK to join the EU; and I’m very pro-Schengen and I hope Ireland desires to join the Schengen Area and takes the UK into Schengen with it (once the UK is in the EU).
No and I don’t think they should be back full stop unless they have a significant mindset shift that would go against 300y of geopolitical traditions
They had a great influence in the trade and legal framework that was shadowed by preventing any truly strong EU. Their lobbyism to expand rapidly east without the necessary reforms is also the root of the issues we are facing right now.
No I dont think it would be fair to allow the UK to return with its special deal, rebates, and opt-outs. All the other members who sign up need to abide by the rules. The UK should be welcome to apply again, and get back in if they and we agree, but they need to accept the standard membership package.
It’s laughable to compare the UK to some low-level non-entity like Denmark or Bulgaria. The UK holds a seat at the UN Security Council, is a nuclear power, via London it has the #2 financial centre in the world, it has a robust military presence and speaks English (the dominant language of business). While Brexit has delivered no obvious tangible benefits, it hasn’t been the disaster many remainers projected. When you look at the lack of GDP growth in Germany and alarming deficits and debt levels in France, the UK is relatively okay compared to its EU peers.
No, they had a special deal that noone else could get. And they fucked it up.
Stupidity has consequences!
No. The EU is a union of equals. Moreover, we strive to build a tighter Europe, and allowing a deal like that goes directly against it. If the UK ever wants to join again, they’ll have to understand that we are Europeans first and foremost – we are brothers, we are equals, we trust each other and we do not discriminate. This isn’t just some economic treaty, the EU is the belief that we all share a European culture that is worth protecting and promoting. That a Hungarian or a Swede is as much at home in Spain or Germany as they are in their own country.
And don’t get me wrong. I want the UK back. Brits are European, just like all of us. But that requires them to understand this.
I think this thread is a good reminder that whenever an EU citizen says they want the UK to rejoin, you should take it with a heap of salt. Half the thread reads more like a punishment fantasy than a genuine desire to cooperate in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment.
You have commenters who can’t even admit that the rebate was necessary. Without which, the UK would have gone from contributing 13% of the budget all the way up to 21%. More than any other member.
As an Irishman living in London, I would allow them return with an opt out on the Euro and Schengen, but the Rebate would be scrapped
It’d be practically impossible to get everyone to agree on the old deal. Really really unlikely to happen.
As to whether it SHOULD happen? No. It shouldn’t. Getting the UK back in to the EU would be very good. But at the same time it’s important that the EU is fair, equal, etc, for all members. No special deals. Particularly not for big countries, and particularly specially not for big countries that left and (if this discussion were to become relevant) now want back in.
I’d vote yes to that, as long as the internal join vote for them isn’t another 52-48% yes-no type deal. But I wouldn’t be okay with them getting generous opt outs as before.
No!
Actions have consequences.
Like in 4 years the next democratic President of America just cant go in and say .. hey .. sry guys…
Don’t think the UK would ever rejoin without a permanent Euro waiver like it had before. While yes, they don’t technically need it as they can just “never implement it”, the parties against rejoining would use it as fuel to deter others from doing so as well.
Also, I’m just not sure if the UK could join Schengen. Ireland and the UK are part of a separate Common Travel Area, which is why it was never part of Schengen.
I feel like those two are stuff that is required for the UK to ever rejoin the EU. Most of its other clauses should revoked (like, did you know that the UK, through the ‘UK rebate,’ had a 66% reduction in the amount it needed to contribute to the EU’s budget??).
Back would be great, but without any extras.
Complete EU or nothing this time.
We already have struggles with well known countries and don’t need another one making trouble (back).
No. Quite a lot has to happen before UK can be part of EU again. Bad attitude and main caracter syndrome has to go. Expecially now when their economy has been shrinking so much after brexit.
No. I don’t think there is any appetite for that in the EU.
Certainly, the present governing structures would not wish to revisit negotiations with the UK.
There was such bad feeling between the parties by the end that I think a lot of time would need to pass before such proposal would be looked at with favour.
it would be interesting to see if they would
i did enjoy the old UK but also like the new independent UK
No. I’d like for UK to return, but it would have to be on the same footing as any other member state. They left, so any legacy privileges are gone. Not only would it be unfair to other members who stuck with the union if they weren’t, it would also set a horrible precedent about countries being able to leave and come back later without any lasting consequences.
If they’re gonna join back they can be the same as the rest of the memberstates. That includes using the euro. No more special treatment
I am in the UK and firmly in the ‘remain’, now ‘rejoin’, camp.
I think the EU would not offer the UK any preferential treatment, we don’t deserve it, we would get the Euro etc.
Given Trump’s policies, I can see a UK/EU defence agreement coming sooner.
Brit here, want to rejoin but under the same rules as everyone else, no special treatment. The exceptionalism shown by the right is utterly insufferable and anything that lets them portray a return as “EU begs Britain to come back” will be a nightmare.
Nope, they had it all and it still wasn’t enough.
If they want back they need to conform to the standard, Euro instead of Pound and free trade including free relocation of Euro citizens.
No. From the EU’s perspective, there’s no reason to give the UK special treatment for a second time – nothing would be gained from that. Either the UK wants to be in, with the same conditions as every other member; or the UK wants to stay out, with the same conditions as every non-member.
I remember living in the UK for more than a decade how little EU news there was. It almost felt like living in the US. People were uninformed before brexit and still are. They made the wrong choice because of this. I don’t think letting them back in would change that but maybe im wrong. If Brits were to come back they need to change their news mentality and fully integrate. From the latest news and elections i do not think brits are ready for this. I really want them back in thow…
Imo a deal should benefit current EU countries more than the UK. UK caused damaged to the EU so if they want to come back they should pay for that.
They can return but they must burn this gigantic wicker man structure with Nigel Garage trapped inside, as a tribute.