Democracy Impacts

Paper Calls for EU Roadmap to Zero Emissions

July 27, 2018

The European Trade Union Institute has published an article calling on EU institutions to publish a roadmap explaining how the supranational organization will fulfill an “equitable transition to a zero-carbon economy,” meaning a total phase-out of emissions by the year 2050, under the UN’s Paris climate accord.
EC Reviews Policies to Promote Subsidiarity

July 26, 2018

A European Commission (EC) Task Force has presented a report to EC President Jean-Claude Juncker on how to respond to the concerns of Europeans about the ballooning power of the EU, pushing for an “active subsidiarity” approach to encourage greater ownership of EU actions by member states.
EU Agency Seeks Emissions Limits in Transportation, Farming

July 26, 2018

A briefing from the European Environment Agency points to the road transport and agriculture sectors as the greatest impediments to EU members’ efforts to meet supranational limits on air pollution and calls for government policies clamping down on emissions from these sectors to help meet EU targets.
EU Agency Calls for More Data on National Climate Policies

July 26, 2018

The European Environment Agency has produced a report warning that EU member states must disclose more quantitative data about the impacts and costs of their policies promoting a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as part of the EU’s climate monitoring mechanism.
EC Supports Integration Through DiscoverEU Project

July 25, 2018

The European Commission (EC) has selected 15,000 young Europeans to participate in the first round of the DiscoverEU initiative, which offers them travel funding to explore other EU member states with the aim of making them “ambassadors” for the EU project and supportive of political integration.
EU Institutions Agree to Renewable Energy Legislation

July 24, 2018

The Council of the EU has announced that EU ambassadors have reached a deal with the European Parliament on a proposal to revise the EU’s renewable energy directive to help fulfill European commitments under the UN’s Paris climate accord with a target of 32 percent renewable energy in Europe by the year 2030.
EU Ambassadors Agree Direction of “Solidarity Corps”

July 24, 2018

An article from the Council of the EU describes an agreement among ambassadors for EU member states on funding for and future activities of the European Solidarity Corps and outlines the purposes of the project focused on the political integration of the EU as promoting a “tangible expression of European values.”
UK Legislators Reject EU Customs Backstop

July 18, 2018

The Guardian reports that the UK House of Commons rejected an amendment to Brexit legislation that would have required Britain to remain in a customs union with the EU if the government reached no agreement on free trade with the bloc by 2019.
Paper Outlines UK Plan for “Common Rulebook” with EU

July 12, 2018

The UK Prime Minister’s plan for an economic deal with the EU after Brexit, agreed by her cabinet last week, would create a free trade area and “common rulebook” between the UK and the EU for goods, strike a treaty committing to “ongoing harmonisation with EU rules on goods,” and establish a “joint reference procedure” for UK and EU courts.
Rees-Mogg Explains Benefits of "Outward-Looking" Brexit

July 11, 2018

UK Member of Parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg recently delivered a lecture in which he outlined a robust view of an outward-facing Britain that looks beyond the “narrow European sphere” and is “open to the world” and true to its long constitutional tradition after its departure from the EU.