Postcard from Brussels

Dear Brits,

Let me start my little greetings from Brussels with some continental stereotypes about British people.

An idiom commonly attributed to and associated with British people is the one of “keeping a stiff upper lip”. The British are perceived as being often pragmatic and unemotional. Nowadays it seems that also with regard to the British EU referendum the Brits do not really care and seem indifferent to the future of Europe. The campaigns seem both pretty uninspired. Still the various Leave campaigns have been unable to depict what Britain outside the EU might look like, they are lacking a vision, their antipathy to Europe seems like a mechanical automatism. But also the Remain camp appears anemic and defensive and their campaign so far is not very catchy.

During the first UK-wide referendum on the membership in the European Economic Community in 1975 there was another spirit: “Forty million people died in two European wars this century. Better lose a little national sovereignty than a son or a daughter” was one argument of the Pro-Team at the time. Maybe a bit pathetic, but how can you debate about Europe without thinking of the EU as a successful peace project? The future of Europe in time of multi-facetted crises is an emotional issue - so let them out!

The campaigns of 2016 are all about jobs, growth and security, but is this really all that Europe is about? Where are those British citizens willing to stand up for a common future in a united Europe? I would also love to read, see and hear more from the Anglican Church taking up a stance in the debate and highlighting the many advantages of togetherness in Europe based on their ecumenical experiences.

British foreign policy has been shaped by a period of “splendid isolation” in the 19th century following the Crimean War. Somehow it seems to observers that the British are still longing for those good old days when they believed that they had the freedom to act in the way they wanted to without any interference of (European) partners.

Restoring Britain´s control over its own laws is one argument of the No-Camp. But history has impressively dismantled the myth of keeping sovereignty in isolation as the island was threatened by powerful and hostile coalitions and the isolation felt rather bitter and scary, but definitely not splendid. British exceptionalism is moreover testing the good will and patience of European and international partners.

This “us against them” attitude is tiresome and not very constructive. Still, most of the other EU partners want the Brits to stay and they are ready for concessions, ready for discussions, ready to argue about the future of Europe. It would be great if the Brits would get rid of their fears of being marginalized and would grip the occasion to shape the future of Europe together with their partners. There is too much at stake to remain passive and indifferent.

With every good wish for 23 June,

Katrin Hatzinger

About the author

Since 2008, Katrin Hatzinger has been the director of the representation of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) in Brussels. She studied law at the University of Bielefeld where she specialized on public international and European law. Katrin is editor of the quarterly policy brief of the Brussels Office (EKD-Europa-Informationen) and represents her church in the broadcasting council of the German broadcasting station Deutschlandradio. Moreover, she is a member of the Kammer für Migration und Integration des Rates der EKD (Chamber on Migration and Integration of the EKD Council) and secretary of the Working group on EU legislation of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). She is an Alumni of the MMF program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Her latest publication is “Mehr als ein kritisches Gegenüber Zur Rolle der evangelischen Kirche auf europäischer Ebene” in: Religion, Macht, Politik (Hrsg: Roland Herpich, Patrick R. Schnabel and Andreas Goetze, Berlin 2015) and together with Patrick Roger Schnabel an article on “Konfessionsübergreifende Ökumene” in Handbuch des Europäischen Kirchenrechts (Hrsg: von Heinrich de Wall, Hans Michael Heinig, Hans Ulrich Anke) which is supposed to be published in 2016.