Democracy Impacts

Soros: EU Is at Risk of Dissolution

February 14, 2019

George Soros warns in The Guardian that “Europe is sleepwalking into oblivion” as major parties fail to reform in recognition of threats to their power posed by rising euroskeptic movements in the upcoming European parliamentary elections.
EU Institutions Advance Common Rules on External Gas Pipelines

February 14, 2019

The European Commission has welcomed a provisional agreement among EU institutions on legislation setting out rules governing gas pipelines entering the bloc and providing oversight of EU members’ application of these rules, as officials seek to advance plans for an EU “Energy Union.”
UK Official Points to Brexit Delay as Negotiating Tool

February 14, 2019

ITV News reports on comments from UK Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins indicating that Prime Minister Theresa May will present her current Brexit deal to Parliament as the only way to avoid a “long” delay in withdrawing from the EU and that the Irish border backstop was intended as a “bridge” to a future close relationship with the EU.
UK Official: Brexit Delay “With No Clarity” Benefits No One

February 14, 2019

The Guardian reports that the UK Secretary for Brexit Stephen Barclay has stated that his government is not planning to delay the Brexit process, arguing that it is in neither the UK’s nor the EU’s interest to extend negotiations “with no clarity” on how they will proceed.
BoE Chief: Brexit Is Test of “New Global Order”

February 14, 2019

Bank of England (BoE) Governor Mark Carney has characterized the UK’s withdrawal from the EU as “the first test of a new global order” in which governments attempt to find ways “to broaden the benefits of openness while enhancing democratic accountability.”
Luxembourg Leads Opposition to Overhaul of EU Tax Rules

February 14, 2019

Reuters reports that a group of governments led by Luxembourg has rebuffed a European Commission proposal to phase out the requirement under EU rules of unanimity among EU member states to revise the bloc’s tax rules.
Lawyer Examines “Terrible” Consequences of Delaying Brexit

February 14, 2019

British barrister Martin Howe QC explains why a lengthy delay in the Brexit process would cause a litany of legal problems related to the UK’s representation within the EU and practical problems related to the ongoing Brexit negotiations.
EC Begins Work Toward €13-Billion Defense Project

February 13, 2019

The European Commission (EC) has begun partnering with EU member states to fund “joint industrial projects in the field of defence” with the aim of ramping up financing to establish a €13-billion European Defence Fund in the 2021-2027 EU budget period.
EC Reflects on Strategies to Achieve SDGs

February 06, 2019

The European Commission (EC) has published a “reflection paper” setting out options for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Europe by 2030, including one scenario in which the EC develops an “overarching” SDGs strategy guiding EU institutions and the member states.
EU Struggles to Agree Common Foreign Policy

February 05, 2019

An article in Politico highlights how the difficulty for EU member states to agree a common position on foreign policy issues, including on the situation in Venezuela and the disintegration of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, may nudge EU leaders toward deciding foreign policy positions on a non-unanimous basis.