Democracy Impacts

Cameron Warns of Unfavorable "Brexit" Scenarios

November 04, 2015

The Telegraph reports that UK Prime Minister David Cameron is warning of a scenario in which the British people vote to leave the EU, and surrender voting privileges in the bloc, but fail to complete a deal in which the UK relieves itself from responsibilities under EU legislation.
Professor Calls for Common EU Migration Policy

November 04, 2015

Professor Thomas Straubhaar of the University of Hamburg has called for the authority to determine migration and refugee policy to be taken from the EU member countries and placed in EU institutions, in order to permit these institutions to form a common migration policy applicable across the bloc.
Swidlicki: Polish Election Sets Back EU Integration

October 30, 2015

Pawel Swidlicki of the think tank Open Europe writes that the victory of the somewhat euroskeptic Law and Justice Party in Poland could serve to signal the end of "ever-closer" integration within the EU and could help advance UK Prime Minister David Cameron's negotiations over the competences of the bloc.
Officials Seek to Circumvent EU Parliament on "Brexit"

October 29, 2015

POLITICO reports that UK and European Commission officials are looking for ways to "sideline" the European Parliament on issues, especially related to immigration, involved in negotiations between the UK and the EU in their negotiations to prevent an exit of Britain from the bloc.
Johnson: Reclaim Supremacy of UK Parliament

October 28, 2015

UK Member of Parliament Boris Johnson writes that the UK should re-establish the sovereignty of the British Parliament by amending the legislation it passed to join the EU to make clear that EU laws only control when Parliament has not "expressly and subsequently decided otherwise."
Hannan Proposes Acceptable Terms for UK-EU Renegotiation

October 27, 2015

UK Member of the European Parliament ("MEP") Dan Hannan has set out a list of proposed terms he argues Prime Minister David Cameron should send to EU leaders prior to the renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the bloc, including the re-establishment of sovereignty of the UK Parliament and the limitation of the influence of European judges.
President Sees ECJ as "Engine of European Integration"

October 27, 2015

In a recent interview, the newly elected President of the Court of Justice of the EU ("ECJ") Koen Lenaerts stated that the ECJ has been "the engine of European integration" for the last half century, since the Court established rules of "primacy" of EU law over national law.
Telegraph Reports Four-Pronged UK-EU Renegotiation

October 27, 2015

The Telegraph reports that the British Government will focus in its renegotiation of competences with the EU on exempting the UK from "ever closer union" and joining the euro, creating vetoes for groups of countries over EU legislation, and structural protections of the interests of non-eurozone countries.
UK Parliament Committee Examines EU Debate

October 27, 2015

The UK Parliament's Treasury Select Committee has announced that it will produce a report examining the financial and economic consequences of Britain's membership in the EU and the potential implications of the UK's leaving the bloc.
UK Euroskeptics Launch "Vote Leave" Campaign

October 15, 2015

A wide-ranging group of euroskeptics in the UK, including business leaders and politicians, has launched a "Vote Leave" campaign that is prepared to campaign for Britons to vote to leave the EU if the campaign views Prime Minister David Cameron's negotiated reforms with the bloc as insufficient.