Could Brexit be a unifying moment for Europe?

While Britain’s decision in its EU referendum of 23 June 2016 to leave the EU has been framed as a negative development for the integration process, some observers have argued that it could allow the other member states to pursue closer integration in the UK’s absence.

Catherine De Vries writes that although previous crises have indeed generated significant leaps forward in European integration, the opposition evident in the UK also exists in other EU countries and it is difficult to imagine that greater integration will counter this growing Euroscepticism.

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

ESO: Background information: The EU Referendum, 23 June 2016. The United Kingdom and the European Union. The results. Reaction in the EU Institutions and other EU Member States http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-eu-referendum-23-june-2016-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union-the-results-reaction-in-the-eu-institutions-and-other-eu-member-states/

EurActiv, 04.07.16: Emmanuel Macron calls for an EU-wide referendum on Europe http://www.euractiv.com/section/euro-finance/news/emmanuel-macron-calls-for-an-eu-wide-referendum-on-europe/

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 11.07.16: The EU’s flawed future after Brexit: The referendum result reflected Europe’s failures, not British exceptionalism http://bit.ly/29qN57J

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 13.07.16: The social roots of Brexit: Europe’s economic integration has fostered social disintegration http://bit.ly/29OsKKP

ECFR: Commentary, 20.07.16: More Europe, less Brussels http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_more_europe_less_brussels_7079

---