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1/9/18

Brexit: Where Brexit will hurt most in Europe – by Jacopo Barigazzi

The impact of Brexit will vary considerably across the European Union, with some regions bracing for severe costs and others less exposed.

That’s the message from data collected by the EU’s Committee of the Regions on the predicted local economic and cultural fallout of the U.K.’s departure from the bloc. The document, made up of questionnaire responses submitted by local officials and obtained by POLITICO, reveals a detailed and diverse patchwork.

The findings is sure to bolster the view among Brexiteers that there may be divisions on the EU side that can be exploited to Britain’s advantage in Phase 2 of the negotiations, which are due to start within weeks. So far, the EU has demonstrated rock-solid unity over the three divorce issues of citizens’ rights, the Brexit bill and the Northern Irish border.

But that may be harder to sustain when talks touch on issues for which countries (and regions within countries) have differing interests.

EU leaders are aware of the danger. French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that the EU27 must present a “united front” or risk an outcome “unfavorable to the European Union and thus to each one of us.”

Read more: Where Brexit will hurt most in Europe – POLITICO

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