Brexit Prompts Unrest in Mediterranean Europe

Disappointment breeds discontent, and discontent breeds departure. During a national referendum held on June 23, 52% of Britons, disenchanted by stagnant livelihoods and inspired by the prospect of a freer future, voiced their displeasure, casting ballots in favor of Great Britain’s exit from the European Union.

The so-called “Brexit” is fundamentally predicated on conservative Britons’ distaste of the EU’s “large government,” particularly its compulsory refugee policy and restrictions on member states’ international trade policies. Indeed, most Britons in the “Leave” camp probably voted as they did to express resentment at the EU’s treatment of their nation.

However, as the international community reflects on the Brexit today, it is increasingly apparent that a British departure from the EU will affect not only London and Brussels, the seat of the European Commission. Rather, the entire European continent will be affected in a more expansive, nuanced way than previously imagined. Of particular note is the Brexit’s impact on independence movements in Mediterranean Europe -- especially Greece and the British territory of Gibraltar.

In sharp contrast to their mother country, 96% of voters in Gibraltar opposed a Brexit. Many residents of Britain’s famous overseas territory, a small island located off the coast of southern Spain which has since 1713 functioned largely as a military installation, feel slighted by a national referendum which gave proportionally little credence to their wishes. Since June 23, the Spanish government has seized upon this resentment, most notably proposing that Gibraltar maintain its membership in the EU by becoming a Spanish territory.

Spain’s acting Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo, suggested to EU Observer that “the formula of co-sovereignty - to be clear, the Spanish flag on the Rock - is much closer than before.” However, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, quickly rebuked the notion that the small island’s sovereignty would change hands. He stated, adamantly, that “Gibraltar will never pay a sovereignty price for access to a market. Gibraltar will never be Spanish in whole, in part, or at all.”

While the Brexit has induced statements of loyalty in Gibraltar, the same cannot be said for the rest of Europe. Greece, in particular, appears emboldened by Great Britain’s departure from the EU, with politicians who advocated for the Grexit last summer now renewing their calls for Greece to follow Britain’s lead.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who championed Greek sovereignty during tense financial negotiations with the EU bloc twelve months ago, affirmed Great Britain’s complaints as legitimate. Leading up to a summit of EU leaders which will be held on June 28 through 29, Tsipras acknowledged “the democratic deficit...enforcement of unpopular and unfair policies…[and] dividing stereotypes separating Europe” that preceded the British exit.

To an extent, many Greeks may feel more strongly about a Grexit than did many Britons about a Brexit. As the BBC reports, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in early June 2016 revealed that 71% of Greek respondents maintain an unfavorable perspective on the EU. The EU’s management of Europe’s refugee crisis, one of the foremost sources of resentment in Britain, sparked disapproval among 90% of Greeks.

Whether this resentment will result in a Grexit remains unclear. On one hand, the Brexit has established a precedent for EU member states to leave their 27 compatriots. Conversely, the Brexit may have awoken EU leaders to the fragility of their bloc. Indeed, two days after Great Britain’s referendum, Tsipras and French President Francois Hollande discussed the need for the European Union to renew its focus on social welfare and democratic transparency.

Undoubtedly, Great Britain’s signal that it intends to leave the EU has produced impacts that extend far beyond those initially anticipated. As effects of the Brexit ripple throughout continental and Mediterranean Europe - and around the world, even - the international community will eagerly observe the extent to which one of the world’s foremost projects in geopolitical integration can survive.