Democracy Impacts

Paper: Macron's EU Speech Will Face Opposition

October 19, 2017

Aarti Shankar of British think tank Open Europe explains why the expansive proposals announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in a recent speech on the future of the EU, ranging from the integration of security policy to the level of minimum wage, will provoke opposition from countries that fear "greater marginalisation and underrepresentation in the bloc."
NGO Calls on Europe to Fulfill Migrant Quotas

October 19, 2017

The nongovernmental organization Amnesty International has called on EU countries to fulfill their quotas for accepting migrants currently awaiting relocation in Italy and Greece under the EU’s policy of mandatory migrant resettlement, as only one EU member has fulfilled its quota as the two-year plan expires.
EC Leaders Push for Unified Migration Policy

October 19, 2017

As the European Commission (EC) reviews progress on the bloc’s 2015 migration agreement, EC leaders have called for a unified, long-term migration policy aimed at increasing “solidarity” in resettlement, “enhancing legal pathways” for greater migration, and a “more effective” return policy.
UN Agent: Brexit Could Lead to Environmental Degradation

October 18, 2017

UN Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes Baskut Tuncak has published a report claiming that the UK may lack the resources and the political will to uphold the same environmental standards as the EU, thus jeopardizing the environmental rights of UK residents.
Lawyers Propose Post-Brexit UK Treaties Court

October 17, 2017

The Daily Mail reports that a campaign group of UK lawyers has proposed the creation of an International Treaties Court in Britain whose aim would be to reconcile the UK's interpretation of post-Brexit treaties with the EU with that of the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ), to be guided by an ad hoc arbitration body in the case of disputes between the jurisdictions.
Goodman: Prepare for "No Deal" Brexit Scenario

October 16, 2017

Commentator Paul Goodman writes that UK Prime Minister Theresa May must make it clear to EU officials that the British Government is ready to walk away from Brexit negotiations if they do not offer the UK a beneficial future relationship with the bloc, and that British officials must prepare for such a "no deal" scenario in the event it occurs as early as 2019.
UK Eyes ECJ Jurisdiction During Transition

October 11, 2017

Politico reports that UK Prime Minister Theresa May has conceded that any period of transition in Britain's relationship with the EU after the date of Brexit could involve the continued jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) over the UK and the acceptance of some new EU regulations over which the British people would not have a say.
UK Seeks Post-Brexit Security Treaty with EU

October 06, 2017

The UK government recently published a position paper calling for the negotiation of a new treaty with the EU to guarantee continued security cooperation with members of the bloc after Brexit.
EU Sides with Spain in Catalonia Dispute

October 04, 2017

The New York Times reports that EU institutions have continued to intervene in the dispute between Spanish and Catalonian officials over the validity of the region's recent independence referendum, supporting Spain's legal position despite widespread violence by government authorities against those attempting to vote.
French President Seeks Broad Power Transfer to EU

September 27, 2017

In a speech at the Sorbonne, French President Emmanuel Macron called for "the rebuilding of a Europe that is sovereign, united and democratic" through the centralization of power over financial, defense, migration, and other policies at the EU level.