Brexit: Causes and Consequences Essay Example

Brexit is a term for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. The EU was established as an economic organization in 1993. The union is a club of 28 member states that cooperate with common laws such as human rights, foreign policy, and security. (Wikipedia,2021). The lack of sovereignty in Britain is one of the many reasons why people wanted to leave. Britain had a total of three referendums before the majority – 51% – voted to leave in 2016. After several postponements, The UK left the EU on December 31, 2020. (Wikipedia, 2021). Brexit is a big adjustment and poses several challenges for the UK.

One of the biggest challenges with Brexit concerns the immigration laws. The European Union allowed easy movement to the citizens of the member countries, which made it easier for people to immigrate to Britain. Additionally, it was just as easy to enter another EU country for UK citizens. During the Brexit campaign, immigration laws were a central theme, and they are therefore expected to change. The immigration process will get tougher once the UK has left. It can be more challenging to work and study in EU countries as well as visiting friends and family. However, it will take the UK around two years to negotiate new deals and laws regarding immigration. Over five million UK citizens are living abroad, and over half of them live in EU countries. Worst case is that they can be forced to return to Britain. In addition to that would British measurements targeting EU workers in Britain provoke retaliation against UK citizens abroad. Britain will also try to reduce immigration in the country by prioritizing high-skilled workers and blocking entry to low-skilled ones (Lawrence,2016). This could trigger retaliation considering that plenty of job seekers from the EU would be rejected from entering the country. If one must move to the UK, they would have to go through a more challenging route than before.

By leaving the EU, Britain can face serious challenges regarding the economy. Since the referendum, Britain suffered years with slow economic growth and low business investments. Almost 43% of British exports go to EU countries and 53% of its imports come from the EU member states (CaspianReport,2016). Leaving the EU will therefore have a big impact on the country’s economy. People predicted that it would take at least five years for Britain to negotiate a deal with the EU. Boris Johnson reached a deal with the EU at the end of 2020, under which numerous compromises were made. (News C,2020). Because of the delay at the border, the value of the fish is decreasing, which is one of Britain's biggest markets. (Fraser, 2021). Brexit also brings a lot of extra bureaucracy to Britain. This is extra paperwork that causes delays, and Britain has employed approximately 50 000 new workers to do this.