Democracy Impacts

Opinion: Macron’s “Democratic Convention” Plan Could Backfire

August 15, 2017

Richard Youngs of Carnegie Europe argues that French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal for member states to hold national “democratic conventions” on EU reform could backfire if the EU and its member states fail to adopt the resulting recommendations.
UK Officials Signal Exit from EU Structures in 2019

August 14, 2017

The Guardian reports that UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Chancellor Philip Hammond have announced that Britain will depart the EU's "single market" and customs union in 2019, even if Brexit negotiations lead to a limited transition period at that time in UK-EU relations, as leaving these EU structures will permit the UK to strike trade deals with non-EU countries.
EU Faces Pressure to Build "Military Schengen"

August 14, 2017

Politico reports that officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are supporting calls from Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert to establish a "military Schengen" area in Europe permitting the free movement of foreign and multinational military forces across borders in peacetime.
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."