Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that the Brexit crisis illustrates the tension between the principle of continental unity and the pull of national control over the destiny of states which will continue to dog the European Union. The Maltese MEP, addressing a large audience at INSPIRE, Marsascala, said that immigration and austerity under neo-liberal rules of economic management have exacerbated this tension. This tension was always very strong in the UK, but now it is growing across the EU.

Dr Sant said the British have always found it difficult to adapt to EU rules. “In fact they never speak of Europe, only of the "single market". On their own, the hope now will be that the UK does not get taken over by right wing parties. These might keep new immigrants back but they could stoke up again in reaction, the threat of terrorism.” 

In the rest of the EU, the temptation will again be that of giving the UK a hard deal to deter further exits from the Union, and to relaunch a process of further strengthening union rules. Both temptations will need to be resisted since eventually they will spark further anti-EU sentiment and lead to much confusion about the proper responses to immigration and terror.

“What the EU needs to do is consolidate its operations and present them in a way that can be understood and appreciated by people "on the ground". However we have been saying this time after time and what happens is that after all this has been repeated over and over, business in Brussels goes on as usual,” remarked Dr Sant. 

The seminar, organised by the Office of MEP Alfred Sant and S&D, was also addressed by Mark Camilleri and Nikita Zammit Alamango.