After the Brexit vote, a Finnish friend of mine reflected with sadness: "Did I waste 30 years of my life? Maybe."
He has devoted a big part of his life to European integration, and counted on Britain’s role in it and, even more fundamentally, on Britain’s key role in the wider Western security and economic community. Many of us share the same feeling and disappointment.
But feelings cannot prevail over reason, as we must now fix today’s Europe. The Brexit vote has created turmoil in British politics. While we still feel empathy for (many of) our British friends and there must be no thoughts of revenge, we cannot afford to let the whole of Europe slide into prolonged political and economic turbulence due to the Brexit mess, which is Britain’s mess and should not be made Europe’s mess.
Contagion
It goes without saying that the British people’s vote must be respected. Equally clear, though, is that it is the legitimate right and indeed profound responsibility of EU leaders now to contain the contagion from the UK and keep the period of turbulence in Europe as short as possible.
The EU is not a charitable organisation but a community of nations that has to look after its member states’ and citizens’ interests. The job now for Europe is to minimise the damage and keep the EU on the road of reform and sustainable growth.
Europe must not be allowed to slide into a painful decade of political and economic turmoil due to Britain’s vote.
So the British have made their decision and the divorce should be carried out reasonably, with fair play by all sides.
The United Kingdom should be expected to submit its Article 50 notification sufficiently promptly move in order to dispel uncertainty for the whole of Europe.
That would respect the duty of sincere cooperation, in line with article 4.3 of the EU Treaty, which implies that the UK as an EU member state (it still is!) is expected to respect the common European interest, which means it should not procrastinate and spread its crisis elsewhere.
Approach
There are many in Europe like me who would wish that the UK could in the course of the process – once the immediate agony is over and the reality of the damage incurred has dawned – decide to stay very close to the European family, even, possibly, within it.
But even from that standpoint it is indeed better for the EU to take a no-nonsensical and firm approach, so as to avoid any ungrounded expectations of a wimpy Europe watering down the four freedoms or making financial concessions.
For the future of Europe, it is even more important to pursue the renewal of the EU than to negotiate the new relationship between the EU and the UK.
The reformed EU must be big in big issues and small in small issues. It must focus on the essentials: safeguarding peace and security and ensuring the conditions for sustainable growth and employment. It must intensify its work to cut red tape and reduce excessive bureaucracy.
The reasons for which the European Union was established have not disappeared: peace and stability among nations, and the freedom and wellbeing of citizens. In a globalising world these tasks are all the more important.
A reformed European Union is needed in today’s world, where challenges such as climate change and growing instability in the EU’s neighbourhood are vast and cross-border by nature.
As a 27-nation bloc, the European Union has stronger clout in world politics than individual member states. Even the EU’s biggest member states are not great powers by global standards but need the backbone of the EU.
Factors
One can well understand factors influencing the British vote, such as the adverse effects of globalisation and the sentiment – especially among older generations – of being left behind in an uncertain world.
These should be addressed by appropriate policies for education and lifelong learning, competitiveness and SME growth.
Still, the most regrettable human consequence of Brexit is that the votes cast by older generations will take away from younger British citizens a lot of future opportunities to travel, study and work in Europe .
For Europe’s pursuit of sustainable growth and job creation, an open global economy, free trade and the EU single market are vital.
In adjusting to globalisation and global competition, we have to lean on the core assets of European social market economy by combining the entrepreneurial drive, educational opportunity and social justice.
It is now up to us to build the future of the Europe in such a way that we can provide sustained peace, prosperity and freedom for generations to come.
Olli Rehn has been Finland’s minister of economic affairs since 2015 and served previously as European Commissioner between 2004-2014.
