The French view on Brexit

The Brexit deal reached on Christmas Eve was a relief for France as much as for the rest of the EU, both because a deal (any deal!) was better than no deal and because the French Government was reasonably happy with the outcome.

Brexit is not something France ever welcomed, but the French Government came to terms with it perhaps more quickly than other member states – or indeed the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, who hoped for several years that the British would change their minds.

Instead President Macron was convinced that after the referendum Brexit could not be reversed because of the terrible political signal it would send to the British electorate. He also had high ambitions for Europe, which in his mind should not be delayed by Brexit or endless talks between the UK and the EU.

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Original commentary posted on UK in a Changing Europe 2 February 2021

Image source: Number 10 Credit: Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)