The EU should still make quitting the EU possible. E.g. if landlocked countries can’t quit because the EU taxes transport too much for them then the EU becomes a prison, not only for those countries.
By that argument, the EU would be ‘punishing’ countries for not joining in the first place. EU membership comes with benefits and obligations; countries can choose to leave to avoid the obligations, but the benefits only come as a result of fulfilling them.
That’s what happened. Countries had to join. Of course it’s normal to expect people to fulfill the obligations for the benefits. But to rely on this to keep the EU together allows for corruption that will become a detriment for everybody.
No need to give all benefits. It just shouldn’t be necessary to join.
None of the benefits existed before the EU existed. Countries economically benefit from joining the EU due to those novel benefits, but in absence of them, countries otherwise don’t lose anything they had already by not joining.
None of the disadvantages of not joining existed either. If neighboring countries stop doing business because transaction costs with countries within the EU are becoming cheaper for them then a country can shrink, or join the EU. In democracies that will inevitably lead to pro EU parties winning.
The EU is in a position to demand this but it’s breeding resentments if countries are forced to join. There is no need to give all benefits, just enough that membership is not obligatory.
But, but, but,… they wanted so much to be out of the EU!
Nah, the twats wanted all the benefits but none of the obligations. The EU gave them the bird.
The EU should still make quitting the EU possible. E.g. if landlocked countries can’t quit because the EU taxes transport too much for them then the EU becomes a prison, not only for those countries.
By that argument, the EU would be ‘punishing’ countries for not joining in the first place. EU membership comes with benefits and obligations; countries can choose to leave to avoid the obligations, but the benefits only come as a result of fulfilling them.
That’s what happened. Countries had to join. Of course it’s normal to expect people to fulfill the obligations for the benefits. But to rely on this to keep the EU together allows for corruption that will become a detriment for everybody.
No need to give all benefits. It just shouldn’t be necessary to join.
None of the benefits existed before the EU existed. Countries economically benefit from joining the EU due to those novel benefits, but in absence of them, countries otherwise don’t lose anything they had already by not joining.
None of the disadvantages of not joining existed either. If neighboring countries stop doing business because transaction costs with countries within the EU are becoming cheaper for them then a country can shrink, or join the EU. In democracies that will inevitably lead to pro EU parties winning.
It is? What isn’t possible is leaving the EU but still being a part of the EU but only in the ways that benefit you at the EU’s expense.
The EU is in a position to demand this but it’s breeding resentments if countries are forced to join. There is no need to give all benefits, just enough that membership is not obligatory.