As the EU and the world continue to deal with the fallout from the Brexit vote which took place this past Thursday, there are growing fears that more countries will follow suit and have their own referendum as to whether they should remain in the EU. One of the countries on the top of this list is France, as the country continues to struggle with immigration from the Middle East and the threat of terrorism which has been spreading around Europe and the United States in 2016.
“If there was a referendum in France, they would probably vote to leave” respected French philosopher Bernard- Henry Levy said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. France has seen numerous terrorist attacks in recent times starting with the coordinated shooting on a train from Amsterdam to Paris and then continuing with the most recent attack at the Bataclan Concert Hall where 130 people were killed by Islamist terrorist.
“One of the problems of Europe, which is the explanation for this population reaction like a Brexit, is that Europe is not desired any longer. And it does not create desire,” Mr. Henry- Levy continued in his interview. One of the main reasons for the populist revolt in Britain and possibly in France could be traced back to the Syrian Civil War and the flood of refugees that have been flooding across the continent, and the sense of lack of sovereignty the countries have over their own immigration policy as Brussels has threatened to fine countries who do not participate in a quota system of refugees. In a recent poll that was conducted throughout France, only 38% viewed the EU favorably.
Another major EU country which could see its own Brexit vote is Germany, where the citizens have had to deal with a record influx of refugees fleeing the nearly five year old civil war in Syria along with the violence in Iraq.
“Next year the AFD will enter the German parliament and Dexit will be top on our agenda” AFD spokesman Franz Weise said of his party’s political priorities after success in the recent parliamentary elections.
From 2011 to 2014, (the height of the migrant crisis), Germany is estimated to have taken in 460,000 refugees, many of which like in France, are fleeing the Syrian Civil war and also the instability in Iraq. The AFD which did not exist before the May 25th, 2014 parliamentary elections won 27.3% of the vote or 27 seats in parliament. The party campaigned primarily on the migrant crisis and the ability to stop the flow of refugees coming into Germany.
AFD’s success also could be contributed to the problems that were associated with accepting refugees, including the attack by migrants on women at the Cologne rail station on Christmas Eve in 2015. The refugee crisis is not the only problem that has caused anxiety in Germany as the country went through a tumultuous time with the Greek debt crisis and the back and forth associated with struggling with a country who threatened itself to withdraw from the EU and default on its debts.
“The Bundestag is increasingly turning into a tool for the implementation of EU law”, Dr. Wolfgang Lipinski said of a possible German exit from the EU. However in a recent poll conducted, 82% said that they would vote to remain in the EU if a British style referendum was brought up, while 14% would vote to leave the EU.
The success of the remain vote could be attributed to the amount of power Germany has within the EU because of its economic success and the influential role it has at the negotiating table. Germany, unlike other smaller EU countries was able to weather the great recession better than most countries within the organization.
In the end, it is a good sign that people are paying attention to what is going on with their countries and how foreign entities are affecting their daily lives and their role in the world, however given Europe’s history and its turbulent past, the continent should come up with an organization that could help it prevent the bloodshed like in the days of World War 1 and World War2.
Links to sources:
- The Telegraph Link: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/22/france-would-vote-to-leave-eu-if-it-held-a-referendum-says-count/
- Referendum Poll, Germany, Reuters Link: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-germany-referendum-idUKKCN0ZD183
- The Telegraph, Fear of Contagion Spreading in the EU: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/28/brexit-contagion-uk-vote-raises-fears-of-a-tsunami-of-eu-members/
- DW Link: https://www.dw.com/en/could-germans-vote-to-exit-the-eu/a-19365390
Leave a Reply