On the other side of the English Channel, Europeans are watching the debate in Britain over the country's exit from the European Union, fearing that the UK will be separated from the EU over decades of political and economic dominance. British Prime Minister Teresa May on December 11 postponed a parliamentary vote on her plan for the country's exit from the EU, saying it may not pass. The issue of Britain's withdrawal from the EU is still under way, even two years after the British vote in June 2016 to sever political and economic ties with the EU.

Many EU observers were worried that other countries might follow Britain's example to opt out of the bloc, weakening the bloc to the point of collapse. Even with the fiscal consequences of the Brixet, which the entire continent will certainly feel, popular support for the EU may be more resilient than it once was.

How did the Brixet unite Europe?

New research suggests that the vote for Britain's exit from the European Union in 2016 has in fact had positive effects on European integration, boosting the EU's popularity. Paradoxically, the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has had a similar effect, as our analysis of opinion polls suggests. Many predicted that both catastrophic events would exacerbate political divisions in Europe by empowering the national antagonists of the European Union. On the contrary, European sentiment towards the EU, after the brix, has become more positive and supportive, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center, the Bertelsmann Foundation and the European Commission.

According to Eurobarometer surveys conducted by the European Commission, for example, only 32 per cent of Europeans in the fall of 2015 said they were "confident" in the European Union. One year later, after the Brixit referendum, the percentage rose by 4 percent to 36 percent. Six months later, 42 percent of Europeans said they trusted the EU. The other two surveys point to positive effects similar to Brixet on the support of the European Union.

Catherine de Vries, author of the Bertelsmann study, believes that the growing popularity of the EU could be a logical reaction to the perceived economic and political costs of getting out of the EU. Recent figures indicate that UK GDP may shrink by 4% over the next 15 years, which could result in some losing their jobs across the UK. The United Kingdom will also lose its right to decide the political affairs of the European Union, including decisions that will affect the country against its will, because Britain remains part of Europe but not a member of the European Union. For example, Britain and the European Union are currently engaged in heated negotiations on how to secure the borders of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.

Trump Effect

The unexpected electoral victory of Donald Trump has had a similar positive effect on EU support, as our new study of the continent's polls shows. When we compared the "Eurobarometer" surveys conducted in the EU member states during the four days preceding the 2016 US presidential election and the six days that followed, we found that Europeans felt better about the EU after Trump was elected.

More than 27,000 people from 28 countries were asked whether they would agree - and if they agreed - to slogans such as "the EU is a modern institution", "an efficient EU", "the EU creates jobs" and other similar terms. Many Europeans either answered these questions positively, or felt more confident in their pro-EU position after Trump was elected.

Prior to the US presidential election, Eurobarometer surveys showed that the EU's support was stronger among those who identified themselves as members of the political mainstream, moderately left-wing, and a minority among right-wingers. After the election, right-wing support for the EU rose sharply. In fact, European conservatives around the European Union were very strong after Trump won so much that they felt more positive about the Union than leftists, and almost equally with the centrists.

Right-wing defense of European unity

This is a remarkable shift in the political landscape of the European Union. Before 2016, European integration was often a cosmopolitan or libertarian position. A position used by pro-British campaigns from the European Union and right-wing European populists as an excuse to criticize the EU. While we can not confirm any reasonable reasons for this new EU right-wing support, our analysis indicates that the European conservatives did not suddenly take a sharp left turn in the wake of Trump's election.

European conservatives are likely to dislike the EU in response to a perceived external threat of a new US president putting America first. Trump's attack on the European Union and European leaders may have changed the perceptions of us and the other in the minds of the European rightists, where Europe now feels like a protective society or nation. Conservatives may conceive of a Trump-Brixet-style reformation, becoming a closed self-interest force that will be able to compete with Trump and other world powers.

Europe will go beyond the brix

Did the election of Trump or Brixett generate some new models of "European nationalism"? Or simply highlighted the financial and economic benefits of EU membership? We do not know exactly. The two may have met to expand and reshape the European Union. How this could be a breeding ground for future research by psychologists and political scientists.

Despite the recent findings, it may be reassuring to those who fear the breakup of the European Union after the brix. If Britain actually emerges from the EU, then a similar effect is likely to happen. It is not yet clear whether good feelings about European integration will continue, and what these feelings mean for the future of the Union.

Trump Effect in Europe

Researchers polled 2,770 people in the European Union during the four days preceding the US presidential election and in the six days that followed. After the elections, participants from across the political spectrum expressed greater support for the EU. Was the largest increase in the political right. The stock below shows how the level of support that the EU received after the election changed. The more positive feelings towards him, the higher the numbers.

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Translation (Translation Team)

This report is translated from: The Conversation and does not necessarily reflect the location of Medan.