Democracy Impacts

Italy Challenges EU Control over National Priorities

August 31, 2018

An article in The Economist characterizes the Italian government’s ongoing dispute with the EU over the redistribution throughout the multinational bloc of migrants arriving in Italy as one flashpoint in a broader conflict in which the country is challenging the EU’s control over national budgetary and other priorities.
Article: Greek Travails Reveal Drawbacks of EU Technocracy

August 30, 2018

An article in The Economist characterizes the Greek bailouts, and the ongoing stagnation of the Greek economy, as an example of EU’s technocratic and undemocratic tendencies to impose misguided solutions on struggling member states and to defer the most difficult decisions until moments of crisis.
UK Official: “No Deal” Brexit May Still Require Divorce Payment

August 30, 2018

UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has stated that, even if Britain fails to reach a deal with the EU on post-Brexit relations, it may still adhere to plans to pay an agreed “divorce bill” of approximately £39 billion, though there would be a question regarding the precise “shape” of these financial obligations.
EC Briefing: UK’s Brexit Plan Would Save Companies Billions

August 30, 2018

Politico reports that, according to a private briefing to EU member states by European Commission (EC) negotiators, UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to free her country’s service industry of EU regulations would save businesses multiple billions of pounds per year, highlighting the costs EU rules impose on companies operating in the internal market.
Italy Opposes EU Budget over Migration

August 29, 2018

Highlighting growing tensions between the EU and Italy and, more generally, controversy over budget restrictions on the bloc’s member states, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio has announced that his government will oppose the EU’s next budget as it fails to implement a plan for dealing with large-scale migration into Europe.
Italian Official Links EU Budget Constraints with Infrastructure Safety

August 15, 2018

Bloomberg reports that Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini has warned, following the fatal collapse of a bridge in Genoa, that constraints imposed by the EU on Italy’s budget could undermine the country’s infrastructure and threaten the safety of the Italian people.
EC Calls for Project Ideas for “Solidarity Corps”

August 15, 2018

The European Commission (EC) has called for proposals from interested parties for projects to be completed by its European Solidarity Corps, an EU initiative with €44 million in funding for “solidarity activities” aiming to promote the idea of European integration among at least 100,000 young people across the bloc by the year 2020.
Lawyer: UK Brexit Proposal Would Keep It Within ECJ

August 06, 2018

UK barrister Martin Howe QC explains why British Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed plan for withdrawing from the EU would leave the UK under the control of the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) without having the authority to select ECJ judges.
UK Committee Seeks ECJ Control to Strike Security Deal

August 03, 2018

The Independent reports that the UK House of Commons’ Home Affairs Committee has criticized British and EU negotiators for failing to strike a security deal in Brexit talks, pushing for the British government to submit to the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) to ensure continued access to criminal and terrorist databases and to the European Arrest Warrant mechanism.
Expert: UK White Paper Will Stifle Opportunities of Brexit

August 02, 2018

Dr. Radomir Tylecote of the Institute of Economic Affairs argues that the UK government’s Brexit white paper calling for a common regulatory rulebook with the EU would, if put into practice, stymie the opportunities Britain has in advancing economic growth by cutting red tape and striking trade deals outside the supranational bloc.