Brexit, at last

Brexit has finally happened. While England does not immediately leave the European Union, January 31 does signal the end to the 40-year-long relationship between the two. The road so far has not been an easy one, least of all for England which decided to head for Brexit after a close referendum. Then, the deals to leave EU were subject to long negotiations which were rejected multiple times by Britain’s own parliament and ultimately cost PM Theresa May her job. Her successor, Boris Johnson, the loudest advocate of Brexit, too had to call for an early election and get the right kind of support in parliament to finally pass the Brexit deal.

Even now, the challenges have not eased for Britain and they face a frantic 11 months to tie up over 700 trade deals with European and non-European countries, including Pakistan. In many ways, the UK finds that this is an opportunity for them to take control of their borders, bring in stringent immigration laws, improve tariffs on the import of items from other EU countries, and exert greater control over their territory, including territorial waters and the border with Ireland.

The long-drawn-out saga had even tempted some other European nations to reconsider the viability of the EU project but, so far, it seems to have had the exact opposite impact. The EU, though, will do well to take a step back and learn from the Brexit episode. Countries have a primary duty to their people and have a right to act in the manner that its people deem is best, even if it means leaving a larger group of nations. However, as critics have pointed out, Brexit is an extreme step and that many of London’s concerns could have been addressed without ever having to leave the EU.

Overall, this is the beginning of a new era in Europe which will have repercussions beyond its borders. Perhaps Pakistan can take this opportunity to negotiate a better deal with the UK.