Democracy Impacts

Ministers: UK Must Follow EU Rules During Transition

January 31, 2018

NPR reports that the EU ministers have approved instructions for the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier demanding that, during any post-Brexit "transition" period, the UK continue to follow current and new EU laws, without having any vote in the EU institutions, and remain within the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU.
UK Official Seeks Dispute System During Brexit Transition

January 30, 2018

Politico reports that, in a recent speech, UK Brexit Secretary David Davis called for the establishment of a dispute mechanism that would permit the British government to complain about new EU rules that "undermine" the UK's economic system during a post-Brexit transition period during which Britain would otherwise have no say over the making of EU law.
Commentator Points to EU as Growing Issue in Elections

January 30, 2018

Enea Desideri of the British think tank Open Europe praises the increasingly prominent discussion on continued centralization within the EU in national elections throughout the bloc but expresses concern that "identity politics" - characterizing the debates as between EU "supporters" and EU "opponents" - ignores the nuance needed to decide the future direction of the EU project.
Visegrad Leaders Push for Narrowed EU Focus

January 30, 2018

AP reports that, at a recent meeting, leaders of the countries in the Central and Eastern European Visegrad Group voiced their support of EU focus on infrastructure, defense, technology, and employment rather than moving toward a "United States of Europe" that centralizes decision-making on matters such as migration within supranational institutions.
UK Officials Preview "Enhanced Equivalence" Deal with EU

January 30, 2018

Bloomberg reports that both the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and Brexit Secretary David Davis have predicted that their government will strike a Brexit deal with the EU creating an "enhanced equivalence regime" under which the country will remain close to EU financial and other rules for the indefinite future.
Shankar: UK Must Stay out of Customs Union with EU

January 30, 2018

Aarti Shankar of the UK think tank Open Europe has countered the assertion by the Confederation of British Industry that Britain must form a comprehensive new customs union with the EU after Brexit, warning that doing so means the UK would have to accept EU common market rules and trade deals with new markets without having a say in their creation.
UK Official Rejects Concerns of Post-Brexit "Vassal" Status

January 29, 2018

The Guardian reports that the UK's Brexit Secretary David Davis has rejected arguments from Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, head of the euroskeptic European Research Group, that the UK's acceptance of EU Court of Justice rulings during a post-Brexit transition period would make it a "vassal state," responding that the concerns are unfounded due to the period's limited duration.
Committee Supports Proposal for Transnational MEPs

January 29, 2018

Politico reports that, in a recent vote by the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee to shrink the Parliament upon the departure of Britain from the EU, Members of Parliament (MEPs) included a provision to pave the way, if agreed by the Council of the EU, to create a new class of transnational MEPs who would represent the full EU.
Visegrad Members Debate Benefits of Euro

January 29, 2018

Reuters reports that, in the three Central and Eastern European countries forming the Visegrad Group that have not yet adopted the euro, some economists and others are calling for their governments to rethink their monetary policy, warning that failing to join the currency may mean they are left out of future EU political integration.
Commission Promotes EU Citizenship Education

January 29, 2018

EUobserver reports that, as part of a strategy toward Europe-wide policies on education systems, the European Commission recently issued guidance on what schools in the EU should be including in their curricula, including education on the European project to ensure students are "engaged citizens with a strong sense of belonging" to the multinational bloc.