Brexit: Time for a Reflection Period about the Finalitè of European Integration

Abstract

Some events seem to be outside the scope of political imagination, even if they are not improbable. That the United Kingdom, one of the European Union's (EU) largest and politically most influential Member States, might leave the EU, is one of these events. The outcome of the referendum of June 23, 2016 has evoked surprise and notions of doom. “Catastrophe”, “explosion of a bomb”, “drama,” are only some of the terms used by politicians and media observers to express their surprise and to signal that they are overwhelmed by the outcome. Reactions in the immediate aftermath of the referendum were uncoordinated, conflicting, and did not show a strong spirit of European integration. For example, it is not self-evident why the foreign ministers of the six founding Member States should gather to strategize over the response to the referendum, thus effectively excluding the 21 other Member States.