After the Brexit fallout, Europeans are suddenly not so eager for more referendums

LONDON — The past two weeks in Britain have been described as the country's most chaotic since World War II, and Europe has taken note. As both the value of the pound and consumer confidence have fallen to record lows, pro-European Union politicians elsewhere have argued that such repercussions would be disastrous for smaller countries than Britain.

And after all major male pro-Brexit politicians had resigned or been forced out of the Conservative leadership race, commentators from continental Europe could hardly hide their schadenfreude. This is what you get when you vote for Brexit, the underlying message appeared to be. There are likely to be more developments in the coming days, as dozens of Conservative members of Parliament vowed Sunday to form a new party should their party colleague Andrea Leadsom — a long-time Brexit supporter — become prime minister.

The news coming out of Britain indeed seems to have been so negative that many Europeans are now suddenly no longer so eager for referendums in their countries.

Opinion polls from all over Europe suggest that the Brexit fallout has weakened nationalists and strengthened many mainstream pro-E.U. parties — at least for now.

Denmark, for instance, was originally considered among the most likely countries to follow Britain out of the bloc. In a separate referendum in December, Danes already decided against handing over more powers to the political and economic union headquartered in Brussels.

Particularly following the influx of refugees into their country last year, Danes have grown more opposed to the E.U. and to politicians such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Moreover, Denmark had long relied on Britain to represent its interests as a country outside the euro zone.

But while more than 40 percent of Danes wanted an E.U. referendum before Britain decided to leave the union, support for such a vote has now declined by nearly 10 percentage points.

In another Nordic country, Finland, the appetite for a referendum dropped rapidly, too. Days after Britain voted "leave," support for the country's membership in the E.U. rose by 12 percentage points.

That development has come as a surprise to many analysts and politicians: Ahead of the Brexit vote, there certainly had been no lack of doomsday rhetoric. For instance, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, had warned that a Brexit could seriously threaten "Western political civilization." But two weeks after Brexit became reality, it looks more as though the British decision could glue Europe closer together.

After results from a previous presidential election in their country were declared invalid, Austrians will soon head to the polls again. It is considered likely that far-right candidate Norbert Hofer could win.

Hofer had previously demanded an E.U. referendum for Austria. But now — potentially amid fears that a shift in public opinion will cost him crucial votes — he has indicated that being part of the European Union might not be so bad after all. "I'm not in favor of an Austrian exit from the European Union," Hofer was quoted as saying.

But the European Union's future will most likely depend on how the French will vote in the country's April and May elections. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the right-wing and anti-E.U. National Front party, is expected to make huge gains. However, recent polls indicate that much could depend on how the Brexit fallout evolves over the coming months, should Le Pen make demands for an E.U. referendum her priority in the campaign.

Twenty-two percent of the French are currently undecided as to whether their country should stay in the E.U. The worst possible news for Le Pen would be a sharp rise in unemployment in Britain and a recession. That, however, is the economic impact many experts are currently predicting for Britain in 2017.

The way the French think is also an indication of how other European countries perceive the E.U.; few nations have been more Euroskeptic in the past.

It is also unlikely that Brexit will fuel anti-E.U. tensions in the continent's most populous country, Germany. The nation has always been more in favor of the E.U. than most of its neighbors, partially because of the political union's foundational history.

Originally founded as an economic trading bloc, one of the main goals of the E.U. has always been to preserve peace in Europe. Contemporary German politicians would probably be the least likely to risk gaining the stigma of breaking that union apart. Even the populist right-wing Alternative für Deutschland party — the equivalent of France's National Front — has never officially demanded that Germany leave the E.U.

Perhaps more stunningly, Brexit has had direct positive repercussions for Chancellor Merkel, who has so far refrained from giving in to demands to punish Britain for its referendum decision. Following the Brexit vote, Merkel's approval rating rose to a 10-month high of 59 percent. It is her highest popularity rating since she decided to allow Syrians to stay in the country in August 2015.