EU could fast-track Britain’s membership if UK decided to reverse Brexit
The European Union could accelerate Britain’s return to the bloc if it decides to rejoin; This could dispel suggestions that the UK will be pushed to the back of the queue if it tries to reverse Brexit.
The debate over Britain’s EU membership has reignited after former health secretary Wes Streeting said the country should rejoin as part of his plan to lead Labor.
Sandro Gozi, head of the European delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly, said: Independent He said the European Union would see the UK’s re-joining request as “a great victory for the European project” and insisted there would be a way to speed it up.
Brussels sources confirmed that the UK’s potential re-accession could happen much faster than other candidate countries due to its significant pre-existing alignment with the bloc.
Although the EU is thought to put joining the euro as the key starting point for negotiations with the UK, many sources have said this is unlikely to be a red line given that the conditions for entering the euro are so stringent and the UK does not currently meet them.
Speaking about a possible Brexit reversal, Mr Gozi said: “We see this not as a victory for the EU against the UK, but as a victory for Europe as a whole.” He argued that increasing global turmoil had increased the desire within the EU to welcome Britain back.
Referencing a possible “fast-track” process of accession, he said: “It could be done more quickly than for other candidate countries because there is the institutional memory there from when the UK was a member. And there is also already some level of alignment between the UK and EU.”
Mr Gozi argued that the promise to rejoin the EU could be a good political tool in Labour’s fight against Reform UK, as a clear promise of return could reduce Nigel Farage’s appeal. It comes after a YouGov poll last month showed almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of British people want closer ties with the EU, while 55 per cent want to rejoin.
But he also argued that Britain should agree to the same terms as other candidate countries and said Britain should give up its “obsession with cuts”. This, he insisted, would include joining the euro.
Not only did the UK not have to join the euro before when it was part of the EU, but it also negotiated a reduction, reducing Britain’s EU budget contribution by around 66 percent.
Mr Gozi’s comments will be a blow to those who want Britain to rejoin the EU; because significant concessions – particularly joining the euro – would undoubtedly lead to intense criticism from the Conservative Party and the Reform UK.
But one source said he thought there would be some “wiggle room” in possible re-joining talks.
“The starting point for the EU would be that we commit to joining the Euro in due course. But look at the fact that there are at least five member states that are not in the Euro and have no intention of joining: Denmark, Sweden, Poland and others. The EU has already had to accept a two-tier position when it comes to European membership.”
Meanwhile, a former member of the European Parliament with links to Brussels pointed out: “You can’t just join the euro. The entry criteria are very strict because of the four economic criteria and the UK doesn’t currently meet them – and it’s a long way from meeting the criterion on government debt.”
The first source also agreed with Mr Gozi that the rejoining process could happen “fairly quickly”, pointing to Finland, whose accession took just three years as it was already a member of the European Economic Area.
“The UK is still aligned with EU legislation and it’s very clear where it diverges and where it diverges. This is very different than it would be in a place like Albania,” they explained. “Both parties will need to study the existing Albanian legislation, get it translated and then review it very carefully and see how it is implemented. In Britain, this is very clear.”
However, a source close to the EU ambassador to the UK tempered hopes that Britain would move quickly on the issue, stressing that the bloc was focused on delivering on existing agreements with Britain, including the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement on plant and food trade.
They dismissed speculation about the UK’s future in the union as “an internal matter”, adding: “We have around ten countries that want to join the EU and are candidates to join. This is the largest number of countries we have ever seen. And so far there has been no request from the UK to rejoin so there are no discussions at the moment.”
The European Union has always been clear that the UK would be allowed to rejoin the bloc if it wanted; EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said there is a clear “direction of travel” for the UK to rejoin in 2023. He said he told his children it was up to future generations to “fix” the Brexit mistake.
Speaking last week, Mr Streeting, who is expected to launch a leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer after leaving government, described Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016 as a “catastrophic mistake” and argued Britain should try to rejoin.
“We need a new, special relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future is in Europe and one day – one day – it will return to the European Union.” he said.
Independent He contacted Labor for comment.
