A decade after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the bloc has significantly expanded its military funding and implemented a new law on deportations, consolidating its power structure. The European Peace Facility, created in March 2021, has grown from an initial €5bn to €17bn (£15bn) in its fifth year, supplemented by "far greater financing to rearm the continent and support Ukraine." This financial expansion coincides with the passage of a "tough new law on deportations," attributed to a "big-tent coalition spanning liberals, traditional conservatives and the far right."
Who Profits from Integration?
Charles Michel, the former leader of the European Council, stated that Brexit made decisions easier for the EU, particularly regarding defence and security policy, which he found useful preparation for Russia’s full-scale invasion. He noted that the EU and UK were united on support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia following the February 2022 invasion, now in its fifth year. A senior EU diplomat expressed missing the UK's influence on the "internal market, on free trade, on the transatlantic relationship," highlighting the economic priorities of the bloc. Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who once called for Italy to leave the euro, has since shifted to working with EU centre-right leaders on deregulation, further aligning with capital's interests within the bloc.
The State's Role in Suppression
Nicola Procaccini, co-leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists, cited the EU’s "tough new law on deportations" as evidence of conservative forces gaining momentum. He attributed this law to the "Giorgia majority," a coalition that includes liberals, traditional conservatives, and the far right, demonstrating the unified front of the ruling class on issues of border enforcement. EU officials are also considering contingency plans to prevent future vetoes by new member states, or "new joiners who turn rogue," indicating a desire to centralize control and suppress internal dissent within the bloc. Michael Roth, Germany’s former Europe minister, described the Brexit experience as "damaging, costly, complicated, so complex," framing it as a "warning" against challenging the existing economic order.
Managing Contradictions
Despite initial declarations from far-right leaders like Nigel Farage, Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders, Matteo Salvini, and Boyko Borissov that the EU was "finished" and that a "domino effect" of departures would ensue, not a single country followed the UK. Instead, countries like Moldova and Ukraine have begun detailed membership talks this month, while accession prospects for western Balkan countries appear more promising. Iceland plans a referendum on resuming EU accession talks, and support for membership is growing in Norway, driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump’s threats. This influx of new applicants underscores the bloc's continued expansion and consolidation of power. While EU-UK relations are now described as "fairly calm," with a "reset" summit planned for July 22 this year to discuss a veterinary deal, emissions trading, and a youth mobility programme, these efforts represent superficial adjustments rather than fundamental shifts in the underlying economic structures. Charles Michel’s personal belief that the UK is "weaker" outside the EU reinforces the narrative that individual nations are less influential than the consolidated bloc in the global capitalist system. The reported "weak positions" of key EU figures, including the German chancellor, French president, Spanish prime minister, and Polish president, reflect internal management challenges rather than a fundamental ideological shift away from the bloc's core functions of capital accumulation and state power projection.