| RaptorChrist said: I'm an American, so I'm not informed on the subject matter. But is the problem that they are going to charge six euro to people in Britain every time they leave Britain to re-enter the EU (whether it be for business or pleasure)? That doesn't seem like a whole lot of money, assuming that was the only repercussions to leaving the EU in the first place. So what's the deal? |
You are quite right. It is not a huge amount of money, if anything it is quite reasonable indeed. However, certain populist right-wing media in the country have went ahead and attempted to present this as yet another sign of EU being 'evil' and 'corrupt' and wanting to 'punish' Britain for leaving. A short term visa to the UK from outside the EU right now is set at £97, to give you a little bit of perspective.
Britain right now, as a member of the EU, 'enjoys' freedom of movement. This means one can travel to and from the UK and the EU, with minimal obstacles along the way. The UK is not however a member of the Schengen Treaty, which gives them certain additional rights in terms of denying entry, custom controls, etc. British people travelling to the EU right now face no checks, no custom controls, and no visa or other entry fees. The proposed change will cover administrative costs and the cost is kept at a minimum, which is a good gesture. But it doesn't mean that a British citizen will be able to travel as freely into the EU as before. For the most part, very little will change, but they will have to declare goods in customs checks, and they could also be denied entry as the principle of the freedom of movement will no longer apply.
Of course, this is only pertinent from 2021 and afterwards. Until then, the UK is most likely to stay in the Union through an agreed extension to the timeline of leaving, what is described as a 'transition period'.
Of course, that is not the only repercussion of leaving. In fact I am surprised this has even made it to the news. This is a non-issue as far as BREXIT goes, really.
