How can Brexit be better for Europe? From the UK perspective the whole business is about the sort of economic relationship the country will feel comfortable with. The debate is framed as a balance of positives and negatives: gaining freedom over borders and over trade with non-EU countries, but at the cost of less favourable access to the European market.
From a European perspective, however, the debate has been largely framed in terms of competing minuses. By how much should the UK be punished for leaving? It must not be allowed to “cherry-pick”. How much damage might there be to European exports? There are modest pluses, such as the luring of banking jobs out of London and towards Dublin, Frankfurt or Paris. But, put it this way, the idea of the UK leaving the EU is not generally regarded as a positive for the project. If you watch the response of the audience to Theresa May’s Brexit speech on Tuesday, note that the British clapped enthusiastically but several European ambassadors refused to applaud.
MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-theresa-may-eu-deal-russia-survival-uk-perspective-a7533891.html
