Democracy Impacts

EU Leaders Agree to Create Common Eurozone Budget

January 03, 2019

The Associated Press reports that national EU leaders have agreed to set aside EU funds to establish a common eurozone budget to support eurozone members in the event of financial crises.
Manifesto Seeks New Assembly to Solve Europe’s Crises

December 18, 2018

A group of European economists, historians, and former politicians led by economist Thomas Piketty has published a “manifesto for the democratisation of Europe” calling for the establishment of a new “European assembly” that would direct funds drawn from higher taxes on companies and the wealthy toward progressive causes.
Author Points to Flaws in Call for EU Army

December 17, 2018

Author Richard Reinsch writes that French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for the establishment of a European army ignores that the basis of an effective military lies in the ability of a citizenry “to muster courage and resilience” on the foundation “of a shared membership of a national people,” which the supranational EU lacks.
France, Germany Propose EU “Buyout” Option from Migration Rules

December 17, 2018

EurActiv reports that the governments of France and Germany have proposed that the EU force member states to make a financial contribution to the EU budget or to aid programs in Africa if they refuse to permit the entry of migrants from outside the supranational bloc into their territory.
German Official Calls for EU Seat on UN Security Council

December 13, 2018

France 24 reports that German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz recently called on France to relinquish its permanent seat on the UN Security Council in favor of a seat controlled by the EU, eliciting a reply from French Ambassador to the US Gérard Araud that such a deal “would run counter to the Charter of the United Nations.”
Barrister: EU Backstop Would Make Britain a “Rule Taker”

December 13, 2018

In a recent blog post, UK barrister Martin Howe QC explains how the “backstop” arrangement regarding the Irish border, agreed as part of the UK-EU withdrawal deal, would work in practice and warns that, by permitting this feature of the agreement to come into force, the UK would “destroy” its ability to pursue an independent trade policy.
US Ambassador Points to Democratic Deficit in EU

December 12, 2018

In a recent interview with Politico, US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland characterized the EU as “out of touch” with the practical concerns of citizens and businesses in the bloc and warned of US retaliation against EU “protectionist” policy that hinders trade between America and the bloc’s member states.
EC Chief Says No Room for Further Negotiation of Brexit Deal

December 10, 2018

Politico reports that, In late November, European Commission (EC) President Jean-Claude Juncker warned the UK Parliament that the version of the withdrawal deal negotiated between Britain and the EU and approved by the European Council “is the only deal possible.”
EU Acknowledges Risks of Sale of Passports, Citizenship

December 07, 2018

The Express reports that EU officials are acknowledging the practice by several of the bloc’s member states of permitting people to buy passports for and citizenship of those countries, thus granting the purchaser the right to live and work anywhere in the EU.
UK Legal Memo Finds No Clear Mechanism to Exit EU Deal

December 05, 2018

According to a newly released legal memo advising the UK government on the implications of the deal it has struck with the EU over Brexit’s impacts on the Irish border, Britain risks joining a new union with the EU from which the terms of the deal contemplate no clear option for withdrawal.