Brexit has 'unblocked' EU from doing what it wants, bloc's ambassador to UK says

Support for EU among citizens also boosted by Britain's departure

Britain's departure from the EU has 'unblocked' Europe from acting in certain policy areas, the bloc's ambassador to the UK has said.

João Vale de Almeida, Europe's first representative to Britain after Brexit, said the UK leaving had also increased support for the union overall.

He argued that while Brexit was a "lose-lose" situation, there was also a "bright side" whereby Britain's previous vetoing of important EU policies was no longer taking place.

The spectacle of the difficult departure has also served as a warning tale for EU citizens to "realise that nothing should be taken for granted", he said.

While inside the union, the UK had a reputation for blocking integration and being a difficult partner.

Separately, polls have suggested a general increase in support for EU membership across most member states throughout the course of negotiations - the opposite of the "domino effect" predicted by some Brexiteers.

"I keep saying and believing that Brexit was a lose-lose situation. This being said, we always have to try and look on the bright side of things and the bright side in terms of Brexit on the 27 is two things," Mr Vale de Almeida told a seminar hosted by the Chatham House think-tank.

"First, is that a number countries and citizens in the union realise that nothing should be taken for granted and you see that in the opinion polls - the support for the EU went up instead of down after Brexit. That's a sign of people being aware how attached they are to the idea of being together. That's one positive effect of Brexit in a way in political terms."

He continued: "The other is that it has unblocked some policy areas where there was some restraint on the side of Britain and that has liberated some impulses and some dynamism within the Euroepan Union.

"I take foreign policy and security, in terms of the defence side of it, what we can do together. There's been a remarkable development in the last few years in the EU's capability to act in this domain.

"The other one is of course everything that has to do with the budgetary dimension ... all in all I remain of the opinion that it was not good for everybody, but there are bright sides of it and we are trying, I guess, to maximise the new possibilities of action inside the union once the UK is out."

While Britain's reputation for blocking EU initiatives was largely justified, since it left other countries have stepped forward to raise objections on certain issues.

For instance the so-called "frugal four" - Sweden, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands - have blocked sweeping fiscal measures suggested as part of the EU's recovery from coronavirus.

Brexit talks on the future relationship between the UK and EU are currently ongoing, with little progress so far.