Democracy Impacts

EU, UK Delay Brexit to October

April 15, 2019

EU leaders have agreed to delay the planned date of Brexit to the end of October this year, increasing the likelihood that the UK will participate in European Parliament elections nearly three years after British voters sanctioned the country’s exit from the supranational bloc.
UK Lawmakers Approve Brexit Delay, Reject New Referendum

March 14, 2019

In a series of votes today, the UK House of Commons approved a motion authorizing the Prime Minister to negotiate a delayed departure from the EU and rejected an amendment calling for a second popular referendum on Brexit.
Merkel Supports Proposal for EU Aircraft Carrier

March 14, 2019

Deutsche Welle reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has supported proposals by head of her governing CDU party Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer for a “common European aircraft carrier” and a permanent EU seat on the UN Security Council.
French Lawmakers Approve Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly

March 14, 2019

Deutsche Welle reports that the French National Assembly has approved legislation that would, pending approval by the German Bundestag, create a joint Franco-German parliamentary assembly that would meet twice a year to propose non-binding resolutions for consideration by French and German lawmakers.
UK Parliament Votes Against No-Deal Brexit

March 13, 2019

The day after the UK House of Commons voted down a revised version of Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed EU withdrawal deal, lawmakers voted in favor of a motion aimed at permanently preventing Britain from leaving the EU without first having negotiated exit terms with the bloc.
UK Parliament Rejects Revised Brexit Deal

March 12, 2019

The UK Parliament has rejected a revised version of the Brexit deal agreed by UK Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that would have limited, but not eliminated, the ability of the EU to keep Britain in its customs union on a permanent basis.
CDU Chief Outlines Vision of Balance Between EU, Nation States

March 11, 2019

Politico reports that the new leader of the governing German CDU Party Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has responded to French President Emmanuel Macron’s vision for a “European renaissance” with an op-ed opposing “European centralism” but calling for focused EU policies on immigration, defense, and climate change.
UK Official Raises ECHR as Obstacle to Brexit “Backstop”

March 08, 2019

The Guardian reports that, in recent talks with EU negotiators, UK Attorney General Geoffrey Cox argued that the Irish border “backstop” contingency measure in the UK-EU withdrawal deal could violate the rights, under the European Convention on Human Rights, of the Northern Irish people to democratic representation in EU institutions.
UK Euroskeptics Offer Tests for a Successful Brexit Deal

March 07, 2019

Reuters reports that euroskeptics in the UK Conservative Party have offered three tests for a Brexit deal they can support, pushing for legally binding, clear language offering Britain an exit route from the Irish border “backstop” provision that would tie the UK to the EU customs union under the current withdrawal deal.
Macron's "European Renaissance" Focuses on EU Authority

March 06, 2019

In a letter published in newspapers across Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron calls for a “European renaissance” focused on the centralization of authority in EU institutions, such as a European Agency for the Protection of Democracies and a European Climate Bank, to advance a broad social and environmental agenda.