DISINFO: The EU is rotten and countries are leaving it
SUMMARY
[Boris Johnson] is doing everything to ensure that Britain exits the EU on hard conditions. Well done Johnson! He shows what a rotten union the European Union is. At a certain point, it worked in favour of all European states. Well, if not all, then at least for the main countries. But then they began to expand to Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and now they are dragging in the devil knows who. Let them go out. Let them show that the European Union is an organisation that is not useful for everyone and that countries are leaving it. By the way, a useful example for Ukraine.
RESPONSE
This message is in line with pro-Kremlin narratives about the disintegration of the EU and Brexit. The report advances the recurring message that the EU is fundamentally broken and disintegrating - also consistent with the narrative of the EU's imminent collapse - and that it lacks supports the support of Member States. In fact, support for the EU is at historically high levels, as shown in the latest Eurobarometer poll. Moreover, Europeans would predominantly vote to remain in the EU: nearly 7 out of 10 EU citizens said they would vote to stay in the EU if a referendum on membership was to be held in their country. An absolute majority of citizens in 25 Member States hold this view, and a relative majority in the three remaining states (Czech Republic, Italy, and the UK) does as well. Following the 23 June 2016 Brexit referendum, the heads of state of the remaining 27 EU countries stated: “We are determined to remain united and work in the framework of the EU to deal with the challenges of the 21st century and find solutions in the interest of our nations and peoples," after the informal meeting on 29th of June 2016. The EU enlargement process is rigorous and transparent. The EU cannot forcibly enlarge to states that do not desire membership - even if a country is approved for membership, the decision to join is ultimately a sovereign national choice. Currently, there are five candidate countries for EU membership: Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. Two further countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo - are considered potential candidates, with a clear prospect of joining the EU in the future. Similar cases here and here. For further cases on euro-scepticism, see here.