‘Frustration with EU is on the rise EVERYWHERE’ Holland demands reform with or WITHOUT UK
THE European Union must REFORM whether or not Britain leaves Brussels after Thursday’s historic referendum, a Dutch expert said today.
By REBECCA PERRING
Express.co.uk
Mon, Jun 20, 2016
Adrian Schout, head of a Dutch think-tank, said a possible British exodus from the 28-nation bloc had unmasked “frustration with the EU which is on the rise everywhere”.
Hinting that people in The Netherlands were also growing discontent under the control of the doomed bloc, Mr Schout said Britons were “holding up a mirror to us” and called for “pragmatisation and understanding” after the vote.
Writing for Clingendael, the head of the European Studies Programme, said: “Caricatures such as Boris Johnson are playing with fire.
“And yet we, the rest of the EU, will have to make an effort to understand the motivation behind the referendum.
“The UK is showing that the situation is now more serious: even the narrative of Europe as an economic success is wearing thin.”
Mr Schout said Brussels had lessons to learn after the escalating migrant crisis and euro crisis.
He said: “Frustration with the EU is on the rise everywhere, and it is no surprise that the referendum should coincide with the eurocrisis and the migration crisis.
“The undertow can be explained by the mirage of trust in the economic benefits of integration. The heated debates in the UK underline the extent to which the European narrative has dwindled to its current state.
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