EU ready for UK’s return, but demands full integration Poll

A decade after British MPs voted for the EU referendum that led to Brexit, a new YouGov poll finds that majorities in the EU’s four largest nations—Germany, France, Italy, and Spain—would welcome the UK rejoining the bloc.

The survey, conducted across six western European countries, also shows that a clear majority of Britons now favour rejoining the EU, but only if they can retain earlier opt-outs, such as not adopting the euro or joining the Schengen zone, Caliber.Az reports, citing British media.

In France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, support for UK re-entry ranged from 51% to 63%, but only around 20% backed the idea of the UK returning with its old exemptions. A majority, between 58% and 62%, said Britain must fully commit to all major EU policies if it were to return.

In the UK, 54% of respondents said they supported rejoining when asked without conditions. However, that number dropped to 36% if rejoining required giving up opt-outs, with 45% opposing full reintegration. These figures suggest a gap between public desire to rejoin and willingness to accept the EU’s terms, which pollsters have described as a “public opinion impasse.”

Despite this shift in sentiment, the UK’s current Labour government—having recently negotiated a diplomatic “reset” with the EU—has shown little interest in reopening membership talks.

Meanwhile, Denmark, which was the fifth continental country surveyed in the poll, saw 72% of respondents express being "very keen" for the UK to rejoin, and more enthusiastic than larger member states about it keeping its previous opt-outs (43%). The country, however, remains one of the few EU nations with official opt-outs in key policy areas.

The UK government under Boris Johnson had emphasised sovereignty, control over borders, and the ability to forge independent trade deals as Brexit’s main benefits, and those arguments still shape political debate. The poll reflects a complex reality: while there is growing interest in renewed EU ties, substantial barriers remain. Critics argue, however, that the country faces rising costs, trade barriers, and a weakened international standing.

By Nazrin Sadigova