Democracy Impacts

MEP Calls for Direct EU Taxation After Brexit

August 11, 2017

The Daily Express reports that Belgian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and head of the Brexit coordination team for the body, Guy Verhofstadt, has called for the EU to use Brexit as an opportunity to impose direct taxes on individuals and companies in order to form a "direct link" between the supranational bloc and citizens of European countries.
NGOs Call for EU Action on Poland Asylum Policy

August 11, 2017

A group of nongovernmental organizations has called on the European Commission to "hold Poland accountable" for the actions of Polish border guards denying entry by asylum seekers from neighboring Belarus.
Diplomat: Ireland Must Consider Leaving EU with UK

August 11, 2017

The Irish Times reports that former diplomat Ray Bassett is pushing for Ireland to "give serious consideration" to leaving the EU with the UK, given the close trading relationship between the two countries and the prioritization by the EU of the future of its Union over the UK-Ireland relationship in Brexit negotiations.
EU Institutions Reach Deal on "Sustainable" Farming

August 10, 2017

The Council of the EU has announced that the rotating Maltese Presidency reached a deal with the European Parliament on centralizing policy on a broad range of agricultural activities to ensure the embedding of "sustainable development" practices in organic farming across the bloc.
UK Officials Consider New Customs Union Deal with EU

August 10, 2017

The Guardian reports that officials in the UK government have expressed a willingness to consider a new customs union arrangement with the EU after Brexit that would apply to goods but would allow Britain to strike free trade deals respecting services with other countries around the world.
EU Develops Centralized Pension System

August 10, 2017

The Guardian reports that the European Commission is developing plans for an "EU pension" that would provide for a centralized scheme through which EU workers who move from country to country could save for retirement.
EU Vice-President: Centralization Is "Foregone Conclusion"

August 10, 2017

In an interview with Reuters, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans predicted that the governments of France and Germany will lead efforts toward an accelerated transfer of power to EU institutions, stating that such integration in the wake of Brexit "is a foregone conclusion."
"Leave" MPs Support Brexit Transition Period

August 10, 2017

Guido Fawkes reports that UK Members of Parliament who supported leaving the EU in the 2016 membership referendum have expressed their openness to a time-limited, two-to-three-year transition period between the end of Brexit negotiations and the UK's departure from the EU's single market and customs union.
Cleppe: Brexit Negotiations Show Progress

August 09, 2017

Pieter Cleppe of the think tank Open Europe writes that, despite some media reports, the EU and UK are making good progress in Brexit negotiations and may begin trade talks as early as October due to significant agreement on key issues and an apparent willingness by negotiators to compromise.
Official Reportedly Offers EU Boats Access to UK Waters

August 09, 2017

According to The Daily Telegraph, UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove has alarmed UK fishers by telling officials in Denmark that European fleets will maintain access to British fishing waters after Brexit.