Four and a half years of bluff and brinkmanship have at last come to an end. The political rhetoric, not surprisingly, is back. Both the United Kingdom and the European Union leaders have declared themselves to be more than satisfied that a trade deal has been struck. So, after all, the political divorce was friendly.
But like most divorces, whether amicable or acrimonious, relief and not jubilation is the predominant feeling following this relationship’s end.
Most Europeans did not have any particular interest in the protracted negotiations. They have more pressing issues to worry about.
The majority of Britons feel they have taken back control of their destiny. A sizeable minority, who in 2016 voted to stay in the EU, now wonder what the future has in store for them, as indeed for all British people.
The world has changed since Britons voted for a Global Britain model convinced by the argument that the country would prosper by throwing off Brussels’ bureaucratic constraints.
In 2016, a wave of protectionism and economic nationalism gripped the United States with the advent of Donald Trump. It soon spread to Europe where populist parties exploited the discontent of many with inept, traditional politicians.
In 2021, nationalistic sentiments may weaken as a new US president will be abandoning the ‘America First’ strategy of his predecessor. Many hope to see a restoration of global alliances, multi-lateralism and collaboration to tackle the world’s ominous threats like global warming, increasing inequality and deficient public health systems.
The UK leaders now have to make real their political vision of an agile Britain striking deals with the United States, China and the Commonwealth countries to promote economic growth and general wellbeing.
The sales pitch of political leaders who sold a future outside the EU now needs to be replaced by concrete plans to promote cutting edge industries that will address the grievances of those left behind in the past decades.
The EU may be relieved that the divorce agreement with the UK has been finalised. Four decades of intermittent squabbling between Britain and its neighbours will hopefully be replaced by a new determination by all remaining member states to fix the structural problems that undermine the European Union’s future.
The North-South and East-West divide in the Union remains as real as ever.
National interests prevent painful consolidation strategies from being implemented.
Malta, too, has to adapt to the new reality. Traditional historical and cultural ties with Britain should help to ensure that the lives of ordinary people in both islands will not be disrupted.
Both governments should make every effort to make travel and the flow of trade between the two countries as seamless as possible.
It is in Malta’s interest that the UK’s post-Brexit political and economic strategy will be successful.
Malta’s future will remain in European integration that has seen the country benefit through thick and thin from economic, political and cultural ties with mainland Europe.
Brexit is a political experiment that the British people wanted.
The integration of European countries is an older experiment that has given mixed results. Much more needs to be done by both the UK and the EU to ensure that political visons do not turn into bad dreams.
As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, it is time to put Brexit behind us. Both the UK and the EU face daunting challenges that must be addressed immediately.