Europe without the European Union: a half-serious movie on a sudden awakening

EU flag. source: Ansa

by Mario Capato for Ansa (translation by Emanuele Bonini)

Euroskeptic parties advance and with few days to the European elections in some countries they are supposed to have a consensus never had before. Euroskeptic parties leaders don't keep their main goal secret: they want to abolish the European Union. What could happen if their wishes became real? What about if one day - like in "A Day Without a Mexican" movie - the old world was mist-shrouded and in just few minutes the European Union and its nearly sixty years of history were over? What about our lives?
First of all, if you think to go to another country be ready to huge queues at the frontiers, whatever crossing place you chose, be Brenner, or Chiasso, or Montgènevre, or Ventimiglia, or Gorizia (with the city still split in two) or whatever you want. Schengen area would be just a dream, and with no open borders passport and visa check-in are serious stuff. In case you thought to a low-cost flight trip, please let it go and forget about. With neither single nor internal market realities such as Ryanair - and so, travels for all - couldn't exist.
Once arrived abroad you should remember to change the so loved national currency with the local one. Of course, if depreciation doesn't play a trick as it has been for Italy at the beginning of the 90's. In case you have no cash with you, you should try paying by ATM and debit cards, wishing national system accept your card and, of course, if you are ready to sustain the high cost. Every country has its own customs. So, every country has its own banking system. By the way: did you remind to keep the medical insurance before leaving? If the answer is no, economically this distraction would be very expansive without an internal market. Again, in your place there's no job and would you go to research it abroad? It would be possible, but it would be necessary to get a residency permit.

  And if you would like having a study experience in another country? Well, in that case good luck! In a Europe with no European Union Erasmus of Rotterdam would be just a Dutch philosopher from the 16th century and no student exchange programme would be dedicated to him. So, you should get in contact with the foreign university remembering that you have to pay because no scholarship would be granted in Brussels. If you reached your goal, once abroad remember that you will have to give your delicacies up: Parmesan and Buffalo mozzarella would be rare with no single market. So, you would have to find happiness in local specialities. In case of callings at home, be careful when you use your mobile phones: one call could cost up to 5 Euro per minute (maybe more, with national currency). If you chose Strasbourg as city for your studies or your job with no European Union, you could risk to find yourself in a situation of other times: rather than the bridge of Europe on Rhine river could be French and German armies, one on the west coast, the other one on the east coast. In history it never happened France and Germany spent more than sixty years without declaration of war. And please keep in mind once you'll be back from your studies abroad you could be recalled for military service. Trust your neighbours, but remember: "respect and suspect", as proverb said. Peace in Europe has no something obvious.
  And what about immigration without the European Union? The situation would be not one of the best. Italy would be no longer the external border of Europe and so most of people arriving to Italian coasts would be blocked in Italy. Last but not least in case you would like to launch an export enterprise you will need courage, patience and tenacity. You should adapt you good to 28 specific different national legislations. The best to do would find a job in an enterprise led by Chinese, in Italy probably already owner of most of the country. Thinking to Italy, what a sixty million people market could do compared to a one billion people market? Considering Italians are less than 1 percent of the world population, could they count in somehow in the globalization era?