Should France Exit the European Union?

Introduction 

Brexit happened on January 31, 2020, after a long period of economic uncertainty in the United Kingdom. When the British held a referendum to determine whether they would remain or exit the European Union, they had not contemplated the negative consequences of leaving the European Union. As such, the country’s parliament kept asking for additional time from the European Union to deliberate on a few issues before triggering the exit clause. Particularly, Britain was avoiding a hard Brexit that would make it costly to engage with EU member countries in trading. After Britain’s exit, the word is that France may also leave the European Union. The situation is unfortunate, given that France is one of the most vocal EU members. In this light, this essay seeks to analyze the likelihood of a Frexit by comparing political and public opinion conditions in the two states. 

The History of the European Union 

The European Union had specific conditions that a country was supposed to meet to be considered as a member of the union. The country was supposed to be politically stable, a democracy, a state governed by the rule of law, and a protector of human rights and the rights of minority groups. The country was also supposed to prove that it had a functional market with the capacity to compete with other markets and to withstand the pressures of market volatility (Olsen & McCormick, 2017). Most importantly, the country was supposed to demonstrate that it would abide by the rules of the economic block and was willing to adhere to the community’s economic, political, and monetary ideals. 

The United Kingdom’s entry into the European Union was rather tumultuous. The UK’s political establishment had previously refused to join the EU due to pride and its international status (Olsen & McCormick, 2017). However, when Britain realized that the major European countries were joining the union, the country’s politicians developed cold feet. Moreover, it quickly became apparent that the UK would be politically and economically isolated within Western Europe. What is more, the block received support from the United States, thus leaving the United Kingdom exposed. For these reasons, the UK made its first application in 1961. The application was vetoed by the French government in 1963. The French president was afraid that Britain would have too much influence on the union and threaten France’s lace in the EU. Moreover, France was aware of Britain’s relationship with the United States, which would potentially strengthen America’s influence in Europe. When Britain made its second application in 1967, it was vetoed again by the French government. It was only after the death of French President Charles De Gaulle that Britain gained entry into the EU in 1969. England was keen on joining the EU to revive its failing economy and to increase its political influence on the international stage. 

U.K got the influence it much needed within the EU and on the international stage. In 2014, Britain was the fourth largest contributor to the EU’s budget. Britain spent $12.24 billion on the EU in 2014 and 18.20 billion euros in 2015. More so, the UK was the headquarter of the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority. Britain’s desire to exit the European Union did not start today (Olsen & McCormick, 2017). In 1975, the Britons conducted a referendum where they were deciding whether to remain or exit the EU. 67% of Britons voted to remain. Since then, Britain had issues with the EU, with a majority of its politicians insisting that Britain was gating a raw trade deal from being a member of the EU. 

On the other hand, France is one of the strongest proponents of the EU’s formation (Lequesne, 2015) . In 1949, France was among the nine countries that signed the Treaty of London that led to the creation of the Council of Europe. France held the presidency of the commission for decades before relinquishing it to Germany in 1997. France claimed the seat again in 2019. Undoubtedly, France has been one of the council’s significant contributors for the 70 years that it has been a member. In 2019, France spent more than €38.5 million on the EU (France Diplomatie, 2019) . Moreover, France has 18 representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly and Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (France Diplomatie, 2019) . 

France’s involvement and contribution to the organization’s initiatives cannot go unnoticed. In general, France has ratified at least 130 EU texts. Moreover, France has come across as the primary influencer in the UK - EU Brexit talks (Zeff & Pirro, 2015). France has maintained a hardline stance in the ongoing negotiations forcing Britain to go back to the drawing table to figure out how to get a favorable Brexit deal. It goes without mentioning that France’s economic future is bound to the European Union. As such, any political or economic moves made by France must factor in the European Union. The country’s commitment to the EU and the constraints that accompany the responsibility make it difficult for France to make its own economic decisions (TNS, 2015). It is therefore clear that if France ever wants to leave the EU, it will find it difficult to escape its EU commitments. 

Eurobarometer 

There have been rumors that France might soon leave the EU as Britain did. According to the Eurobarometer, currently, only 33% of French citizens Trust the European Union (European Commission , 2018) . Moreover, 51% do not believe that their voices matter in the European Union. What is more, France is grappling with terrorism, immigration, a poor economy, and climate change – issues that should be addressed by the European Union. In the same breath, with increasing unemployment and inflation, most French citizens believe that the economic situation of their country, as well as that of the European Union, is bad. These are some of the reasons that the UK decided to leave the European Union. It, therefore, follows that if these issues are not addressed, France may follow suit. 

Conclusion 

Britain’s exit from the EU took the world by shock. Most people thought that Britain was better off in the EU rather than outside the EU. The British government contemplated holding another referendum to reverse the results of the first referendum. Britain was justified in living the EU, given that the EU did not help in fighting immigration, crime, and issues of health. Currently, France is facing the same problems that made Britain quit the EU. It is, therefore, a matter of time before France leaves and becomes an independent European state. However, France’s role, influence, and contribution to the EU might make it extremely difficult for the country to quit the EU. 

References 

European Commission . (2018). Standard Eurobarometer 90: Autumn 2019. Brussels: European Commission. 

France Diplomatie. (2019, May). France and the Council of Europe . Retrieved from https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/human-rights/france-and-the-council-of-europe/ 

Lequesne, C. (2015). France and the European Union: a story of reason rather than love. Hambross Plass: Norwegian Institute for International Affairs. 

Olsen, J. & McCormick, J. (2017). The European Union. Politics and Policies. Taylor and Francis. Sixth Edition. 

TNS. (2015). PUBLIC OPINION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. Standard Eurobarometer. 

UK News. (2019, March 20). Why did the UK join the EU? Retrieved from The Week: https://www.theweek.co.uk/100313/why-did-the-uk-join-the-eu 

Zeff, E.E. & Pirro, E.B. (2015). THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE MEMBER STATES. Lynner Reinner Publishers. Third Edition.