Last night I had a dream: I dreamt that the UK had rejoined the EU. And not only that: they had also become part of the Schengen area, were willing to pay their fair share of the membership fee, had replaced the pound with the euro, and would support the EU in a constructive way.
I dreamt that I could buy again things from the UK without exorbitant postage costs and custom fees, as well as having shorter delivery times. In theory I could also travel to the UK again without the fear of being detained. My wife – she is British – would regain her EU citizenship, which will make living in an EU country easier again. She would be able to travel and see her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren without complicated procedures and restrictions. And she would be able to get a proper passport again (instead of the nasty blue or black thing that she is hiding in a neutral cover).
Making things easier for everyone
And for our British friends it would also make things a lot easier. They could use their holiday home as often and for as long as they like, without counting the number of days between trips. In a couple of years, when they would be retired, they could spend the whole winter here, and not just a maximum of 90 days.
And for their children it would be much better and easier. Their son could come over here to study, work and gain experiences (and might even manage to learn a bit of the Greek language) without restrictions. The daughter, a few years younger, likes to travel. She could see and learn a lot about the European countries with their different cultures. Outside the EU, it had become easier for her to travel to Asia and Australia than to European countries.
Our eldest daughter is a self-employed artist. She could once again do business with the other EU-countries without confusing rules and restrictions and additional costs. In the same way she could buy materials for her business again from European suppliers. It is a win-win situation.
Back in the EU, doctors and nurses and fruit pickers and hospitality workers and lorry drivers and…
At that point I woke up and realised that it was only a dream. And, at first, it seemed to be a nice and good dream. But reality is not a dream.
Waking up to the reality
So, how would reality most likely look, if the UK re-joined the EU? Unfortunately, despite everything that has happened in the last 10 years, there is still a large number of people, who, for whatever imaginary reasons, think that Brexit was a good idea. The EU has only just got rid of Viktor Orbán in Hungary. And the EU does not need – and can do much better without – a company called ‘Reform UK Party Limited’ and its far-right-wing and populist members.
How likely is it that the UK would not again demand special rules and treatment because of its ‘exceptionality’? How likely is it that most people in the UK would see EU citizenship as more important than UK citizenship? How likely is it that the UK would drop the pound sterling in favour of the euro? And many other points.
At the moment, it is unlikely and impossible that the UK will re-join the EU in the short term, and almost certainly not during the rest of my lifetime. As disappointed and devastated as I was when Brexit happened, now, I think, is not yet the right time for the UK to re-join the EU. First, the UK has to learn and accept that the EU is primarily a peace project, and not a one-sided self-service shop. Only then can the UK become a constructive member state and a good partner.
Maybe I was still too young at the time, but I did not understand why Charles De Gaulle twice vetoed the membership of the UK in the then EEC. Today I have to say that he was right. The UK is still far from ready to be a member in the EU. And that trust, once destroyed, cannot easily be rebuilt.
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