SOME CONTRADICTIONS OF BREXIT

ZEČEVIĆ Slobodan (Slobodan Zečević, PhD. Full Research Professor in the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade, Serbia),

With the referendum held in June 2016, the circle of participation of the United Kingdom in the European integration process begun in 1973 was closed. The objectives of this article are to show some contradictions of Brexit. The UK referendum is inherently contradictory because it occurred at a time when the European Union more than ever conforms to British views on the European project. The European Union has never been closer to the concept of a week confederal union where each sovereign Member State defends its views in accordance with the daily political interests. As a large country and the former imperial power, the United Kingdom tends to preserve his influence in Europe. Leaving the European Union, the United Kingdom will lose the right to decisionmaking in the European Union institutions, which means that its political influence in the continental Europe will be weaker. The Brexit is a failure for the European Union, but it also may be an opportunity for progress in the areas where the former impeded and prevented integrative steps. It is primarily about creating a structured European defence, autonomous in relation to the NATO.

Keywords: Brexit, United Kingdom, European Union, referendum, federalism, secessionism, intergovernmental cooperation, European sovereignty