Democracy Impacts

Hungarian Official Criticizes Talk of Brexit "Punishment"

February 21, 2017

The Express reports that Zoltan Kovacs, spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has asserted that Hungary is seeking a "fair Brexit" and will not attempt to punish the UK for its decision to depart the EU by, for instance, contributing to plans to impose a financial penalty on Britain upon its exit.
EU Signals Insistence on UK Brexit Payment

February 21, 2017

The European Commission has signaled that it will insist on a UK financial contribution, which some experts peg at approximately 60 billion euros, to settle the country's budget commitments upon its departure from the EU.
Scottish Legislators Seek Separate EU Migration Deal

February 21, 2017

Politico reports that a committee of the Scottish Parliament, warning of the risks to the nation's economy posed by the potential departure of EU migrants and a future reduction in migration from the EU that may occur due to Brexit, has called on Scottish officials to pursue a migration deal with the EU that is less restrictive than that of the rest of the UK.
EU Council Recommends Continued Border Controls

February 20, 2017

The Council of the EU has once again recommended a three-month extension of controls along certain borders in the passport-free Schengen travel area to stem flows of "irregular migrants," but only as a "last resort" and after a dialogue between the member states at issue establishes that such controls are "necessary and proportionate."
EU Reports on Progress Toward "Circular Economy"

February 20, 2017

The European Commission has issued a report on its progress in implementing its Circular Economy Package, adopted last year, through such actions as establishing a Circular Economy Finance Support Platform with the European Investment Bank and pressuring EU members to take action on creating energy out of waste.
UK Court Turns back Challenge to EEA Exit

February 16, 2017

The Guardian reports that two judges on the UK High Court have rejected as premature a challenge to the Government's Brexit strategy in which claimants argue that British officials must follow procedures, separate from the EU exit process, to leave the bloc's "single market" (EEA).
EU Leaders Increasingly Embrace "Multi-Speed" Integration

February 16, 2017

Reuters reports that EU leaders meeting at a summit in Malta, while not accepting the possibility of halting "ever-closer union" or returning powers to member states, increasingly advocated a model of "multi-speed" integration that permits some EU members to move more slowly in giving away sovereignty to the supranational organization.
UK Publishes Principles to Guide Brexit

February 16, 2017

The British Government recently released a publication setting out 12 broad principles it will follow in negotiating its exit from the EU, including by withdrawing completely from the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU, negotiating new free trade agreements, and regaining control of migration from the bloc.
UK Lords Prepare Amendments to Brexit Bill

February 15, 2017

The Belfast Telegraph reports that the UK House of Lords has prepared a series of eight amendments to the Government's "Brexit" bill, passed recently by a large majority in the House of Commons, to add conditions to the authority of the Government to notify the EU of its plans to exit the bloc.
Official Seeks "Next Level" of EU Integration

February 14, 2017

In a letter to leaders of EU institutions and member states in advance of a recent Rome summit on the future of the bloc, President of the European Council Donald Tusk called for the leaders to "raise European integration to the next level" to counter external, geopolitical threats and internal EU dissension regarding the need for strong national sovereignty.