Observer editorial, London, 25 Nov 2018<\/p>\n
As Britain prepares to leave, the continent\u2019s long-term headaches remain<\/em><\/p>\n The intense inwards focus in Westminster on last-minute Brexit<\/a> dramas has tended to obscure the dire impact on Europe itself of Britain\u2019s decision to leave the EU. It is a poignant moment. Across a continent beset by mounting internal and external problems, Britain\u2019s departure will be interpreted by many as a stinging vote of no confidence in Europe\u2019s collective future.<\/p>\n With the summit in Brussels to seal the Brexit<\/a> withdrawal agreements now expected to go ahead as planned, the remaining 27 member states have reached a portentous turning point that none of them ever really wanted.<\/p>\n The British, generally speaking, have consistently misread their importance to Europe in the postwar period. Ideologically biased and ill-informed politicians are partly to blame. Irrationally Eurosceptic rightwing newspapers have also exerted a baleful influence. On the one hand, they claimed an ungrateful Europe<\/a>, symbolised by the hated \u201cBrussels\u201d, failed to appreciate Britain\u2019s pivotal role in saving the continent in 1945 \u2013 and keeping it safe ever since. On the other hand, crafty Europeans were said to be undermining our sovereignty, exploiting our goodwill, and, as Margaret Thatcher put it, stealing \u201cour money\u201d.<\/p>\n The more nuanced truth is very different. Most European states, most of the time, valued Britain\u2019s presence at the EU\u2019s top table. Given its strong democratic, parliamentary and public service traditions, attachment to the rule of law and commitment to free and fair trade, Britain was seen by many as a model, particularly in post-Soviet central and eastern Europe. Britain championed EU enlargement. It served as a bridge to the US. It was a key actor in Nato. And it provided crucial balance to the perpetually fragile Franco-German relationship.<\/p>\n Not all of this will be lost when Britain departs on 29 March next year. Nor should we repeat the old error of exaggerating British influence. But make no mistake, the damage to the idea of Europe, and to Europe\u2019s standing in the world, will be considerable and lasting. In the era of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, the European Enlightenment\u2019s legacy of open societies based on legal rights, obligations and individual freedoms is under sustained attack. Democratic governance is not a given in much of the world. Europe is its first and last bastion. And Britain just broke ranks.<\/p>\n The position of Germany in post-Brexit Europe is of particular interest. Angela Merkel\u2019s government believes, rightly, that Brexit is a big mistake<\/a>. Germans generally appear to feel a sense of regret, mixed with unease. Berlin must now face the challenges presented by the European-wide rise of rightwing populism, Italy\u2019s contagious anti-Brussels fiscal rebellion and the fraught problems posed by mass migration into unstable, indebted southern Europe without assistance from Britain, an instinctively like-minded ally.<\/p>\n