Euro-dependency

By THE DATA TEAM

EVEN before Britain voted to leave the European Union, opportunistic populists across the continent were claiming that their countries could also break free of the shackles of Brussels. Talk of "Frexits" and "Malternatives" abounded. Yet for all the chatter, it may well be a far less inviting prospect for other member states to leave the European family. Aside from the polling, which suggests the vast majority are keen to stay in, the level of dependency on other EU countries is higher than that of Britain. Around half of British exports, for instance, are bought by European countries, compared with about two-thirds on average for other EU members. Britain is also less dependent on its neighbours for investment and has fewer emigrants than most other European countries. By contrast, Eastern European states tend to be the most reliant on the EU. About 80% of Slovakian trade goes to or comes from the EU. And at least 2.6m Romanians and 2.1m Poles have upped sticks and spread across the continent to find work and prosperity. Sadly, for officials in Brussels working to navigate as smooth a Brexit as possible, these data will offer little consolation.