this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2025
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Europe

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187
Most people in France, Germany, Italy and Spain would support UK rejoining EU, poll finds (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 day ago by CAVOK@lemmy.world to c/europe@feddit.org
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[–] ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org 119 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

I'd support it too, with two conditions:

  • No more special treatment for farmers, fishermen and whatnot, and no more rebates. The UK pays in full, like all the members, and they play by the same book.
  • They join the Eurozone.

That should ensure one of two things:

  • They're serious about rejoining and they're not about to throw a Brexit again.
    -or-
  • They're not really serious and Europe won't have to deal with the aggravation of a new application.
[–] Saleh@feddit.org 68 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'd add to that the demand that the UK must fully comply with EU standards on human and civil rights, especially the right to freedom of opinion, freedom of assembly and the prohibition of torture.

Specifically this refers to the criminalization of Stop Oil and Palestine Action and the torture of Julian Assange.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 36 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Specifically this refers to the criminalization of Stop Oil and Palestine Action and the torture of Julian Assange.

I mean wouldn't that require, say, Germany to follow these standards first?

[–] Saleh@feddit.org 24 points 1 day ago

I wholeheartedly agree that Germany is falling significantly below these standards and should face repercussions by the EU. Unfortunately the sanctioning mechanisms for members in the EU are still lackluster.

When it comes to countries joining the EU, it is easier to scrutinize the adherence to the EU standards.

I am afraid that Germany will rather blow up the EU than stop its descend into authoritarianism.

[–] BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Yeah, how's that going with Hungary? We cannot rely on the EU to enforce civil rights or freedoms. The UK needs to sort that ourselves.

Bringing in proportional representation is far more important than rejloining the EU in my opinion. That would be better for repairing the UK.

[–] huppakee@feddit.nl 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Was just about to paste some text i copied from the article here when i saw your comment; it seems your thoughts are in line with how many people think. Considering the Brits do not appear to be happy about those conditions, I guess a breunion or brejoining won't be happening very soon:

Only one-fifth of respondents across the four biggest EU members, from 19% in Italy and France to 21% in Spain and 22% in Germany, felt the UK should be allowed return as if it had never left, with 58-62% saying it must be part of all main EU policy areas.

The pollster stress-tested western European attitudes by asking whether, if the UK was only willing to rejoin the EU on condition it could keep its old opt-outs, it should be allowed to. Some (33-36%) felt this would be OK, but more (41-52%) were opposed.

In the UK, while 54% of Britons supported rejoining the EU when asked the question in isolation, the figure fell to just 36% if rejoining meant giving up previous opt-outs. On those terms, 45% of Britons opposed renewed membership.

[–] i_am_not_a_robot@feddit.uk 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm British and I think we should be subject to more conditions than when we were previously in the EU, if we were to rejoin. We had a great deal and we stupidly left rather than trying to work with the EU to resolve whatever perceived problems we had. So, yeah, obviously as a Brit I'd be happier for us to join on our old terms but realistically we screwed up and we should pay for that.

[–] huppakee@feddit.nl 9 points 1 day ago

My personal opinion is similar, not because i feel resent or think Brits dont deserve a good deal, but because i think EU should always work in the interest of the EU as a whole and that is having the UK having less exceptions they had before. But i also hope the EU won't play too hard to get, and work to prevent they delay the breunion decades beyond what it would take if they agree with a part of UKs conditions.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Of course they won't get special treatment and adapting the Euro is a given. Although the latter is basically a commitment statement anyway which many countries will probably never follow through with.

[–] atro_city@fedia.io 4 points 1 day ago

Get rid of FPTP. We don't need that shit in the Union.

[–] CAVOK@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm not opposing what you're saying, but just to be clear, plenty of countries have rebates in one form or another; Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany for example.

[–] aard@kyu.de 13 points 1 day ago

Just like the UK exemptions most of those were given to early members as rules changed to get them to agree to the rule changes.

New members don't get that - and UK would be treated like a new member.

[–] subOrange@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Ditch the pound, then we talk.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Out of curiosity, why would that matter to most people? I don't live in Europe so I'm just curious. Is it just about wanting them to use the same currency because they seem posh about it or something? On their end I assume the look at it and say our money's worth more. (Why I fabricated the idea of posh being a possible reason for debating for/against)

[–] subOrange@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As other might have said the same here and some other places: if they are serious about an unified economy they shouldn’t need their own currency that only benefit themselves directly if it goes stronger.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It also only hurts them directly if it goes weaker though right? From an outside perspective I would understand them moving to the Euro just to simplify things, but I also think being a part of the EU has more effects than being a unified economy. It helps with travel, that's good. But it also makes a country dependent and can void the entire principle of laws fairly easily.

Hypothetical, let's say a country like Hungary isn't following the civil rights laws required to be part of the European Union. Does the EU try to squeeze them economically to make them act in a manner the rest of the Union demands, or do they settle and say, well they are their own country and we have no say there, so our rules aren't really laws, but mere suggestions. Where do these suggestions draw hard lines, and if you hit a hard line what stops the country from printing their own currency back out and just telling the EU to fuck off. Does the EU not allow them to do so because their currency would thereby be unbalanced? Or do they allow them to under the condition they trade all their currency out somehow?

Some things could get dicey I imagine.

[–] warm@kbin.earth 4 points 1 day ago

Just posturing, the pound wouldnt be ditched if the UK rejoined EU. I dont get why people get so caught up over this. It's like a "ha ha" from the diehard EU supporters, which is kind of pointless.

They think the UK are gagging to rejoin the union, when they are not. They also seem to think the UK rejoining does nothing to benefit the union states, very weird.

[–] courval@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

So never..

[–] Tolstoy@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Isn't YouGov (the one who mades the polls) a UK based firm. I don't mind when they rejoin EU but with more contributions than backpacking

[–] borisentiu@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago

From afar the popularity of Farage seems to indicate that the UK itself is on a pro european track...

[–] BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Yeah that'd work if there is no special treatment for French farmers etc too. People like to paint Brexit as a simplistic thing - some kind of simplistic jingositic thing - but actually it was complex and multifaceted - the common agricultural policy, the democratic deficit in the centre of the EU, the constant paralysis instead of decision making. All these things contributed as different people voted on different grounds. The loud and bombastic voices of Farrage and Johnson may have dominated the media narrative but it barely scratches the surface of how deep the divisions over Europe actually go.

The reality is I don't think the UK would vote to rejoin even if people regret leaving. Any deal to rejoin would be worse than what was lost particularly around joining the Eurozone and the disproportionate cost of membership in terms of subsidising CAP etc. It'd be a very difficult sell to the UK voters and as we get further from Brexit the damage is perceived to be less and less.

The EU needs serious reform. I wanted to remain as I thought Britain could have besn a voice to push that but looking at how the EU is currently I don't want to rejoin. I wouldn't want to be be in the EU while Hungary can hold everything up and is not accountable for its loss of democracy. Poland just avoided a damaging right wing government for now, but they already diamantled much of the liberal state and the left are struggling to rebuild it. France is divided 3 ways and the upcoming presidential election brings much uncertainty. I can't imaging any politician in Europe wants to even think about Britain rejoining, and in the UK it remains a highly divisive and controversial topic.

I'm glad people in the EU are patriotic about it, and want it to succeed. As a Brit I want it to succeed too. But genuinely as much as I wanted to stay I would vote against rejoining if asked right now. There is not a clamour to rejoin at the present - people may regret Brexit but that is not the same as wanting to go through the bruising process of rejoining.

[–] woelkchen@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

disproportionate cost of membership

Disproportionate were Thatcher's UK Rebate and other unfair opt-outs.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

We could make EMU membership a condition for their EU membership ... if that isn't too risky for € at this point.

[–] woelkchen@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

We could make EMU membership a condition for their EU membership

That's already a condition. New members cannot opt out of the Euro once the criteria are met.

[–] OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

One of the criteria is to deliberately peg your currency to the Euro for two years. This is optional and you can simply never do it.

So Sweden will not join the Euro without a referendum, even though they don't have an opt out.

[–] woelkchen@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So Sweden will not join the Euro without a referendum, even though they don’t have an opt out.

Sweden is a member since before the Euro. That's one of the special treatments pre-Euro member states get. A rejoining UK would be treated like a new member and better come into line.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Sure, but a lot of EMU members never met the criteria (if you mean Maastricht), so it's always a per-country decision.

Anyway, UK opted out at the beginning iirc (bcs politicians didn't want to lose power), so I'm just saying we don't let them have that luxury again (that € isn't negotiable).

[–] locuto@social.tchncs.de 1 points 1 day ago

@CAVOK I think the main condition to join should be no opt-outs. On the other hand, I think opt-outs can be a useful tool for deepening EU integraciΓ³n.

[–] atro_city@fedia.io -3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The poll, of representative samples of more than 2,000 adults in the UK and Germany and more than 1,000 in Denmark, France, Italy and Spain, was carried out between 12 and 27 June.

yeah...