Democracy Impacts

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.
EU Members Agree to Defense Fund, Command Structure

August 09, 2017

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that EU member states have agreed to a European Commission proposal for an EU defense fund of €1.5 billion to develop and acquire a range of military weaponry and equipment, including drones, and gave members three months to decide whether they would join an EU coalition that conducts military missions.
EU Leaders Dismiss UK Offer on Citizens' Rights

August 09, 2017

The Guardian reports that EU leaders at a summit in June expressed dissatisfaction regarding UK Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals for EU citizens' rights in Britain after Brexit, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stating that he is unable to see how the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) could be excluded from the protection of these rights.
MPs Warn May on "No Deal" Brexit

August 09, 2017

Sky News reports that a group of 30 Conservative Members of the UK Parliament (MPs) is warning Prime Minister Theresa May that they will not accept an exit from the EU without a deal on a future relationship with the bloc.
Cleppe: Attempts to "Soften" Brexit Are Unrealistic

August 09, 2017

Pieter Cleppe of the think tank Open Europe writes that the "obvious way" to prevent a "cliff-edge" or "chaotic event" in the Brexit process is to allow Britain to set its own trade and regulatory policies, which could not happen if the country remains in the EU's "single market" or customs union.