Democracy Impacts

Austrian Official Seeks EU Permission on Jobs Policy

January 17, 2017

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern has pledged that he will ask for permission from the EU institutions to allow businesses in his country to consider Austrian job candidates before they consider candidates from other EU member states.
Party Paper Shows Inflexibility on EU Membership

January 17, 2017

Reuters reports that a paper from the German Social Democratic Party would commit party leaders to a policy of not permitting the UK to negotiate membership in the EU's "single market" after Brexit unless it agrees to unrestricted migration, spotlighting the inflexibility of the bloc's politicians and leaders on market access.
Official Predicts New Eurozone Bailout of Greece

January 17, 2017

Reuters reports that Belgian Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt has declared that the heads of the eurozone will proceed with another bailout of Greek institutions with or without the involvement of the International Monetary Fund.
Iceland Announces Vote on EU Referendum

January 17, 2017

The newly formed coalition government of Iceland has announced that it will offer the country's Parliament a vote on whether to hold a popular referendum on joining the EU.
Lord Speaker Signals Cooperation on Brexit Law

January 17, 2017

In a recent comment article, the Speaker of the UK House of Lords, Lord Fowler, pledged that his body would not "sabotage legislation" from the elected House of Commons regarding the withdrawal of Britain from the EU, but would rather seek to "improve" any such law.
EU Proposes Scrutiny of Services Regulation

January 16, 2017

The European Commission has announced a package of initiatives aimed at completing the EU's "single market" for service providers by, in part, proposing tougher EU scrutiny of national regulations on professional services and requiring a "comprehensive and transparent proportionality test" before governments create new rules on the provision of services.
EU Faces Dilemma on Future Direction

January 16, 2017

The Guardian has published a piece in which journalists highlight the dilemma faced by top EU officials who wish to launch ambitious projects to keep the bloc relevant but who face intensifying pressure from voters driven by politicians who call on them to return power to the member states.
UK Report Predicts Windfall from EU "Single Market" Exit

January 13, 2017

A report from the nonpartisan campaign group Change Britain describes the financial benefits the UK might expect from leaving the EU "single market," including a halt to most government payments to the EU budget, deregulation of the UK economy, and the negotiation of free trade agreements with non-EU countries around the world.
Case in UK Seeks to Delay EU "Single Market" Exit

January 13, 2017

The Guardian reports that a group of anonymous litigants from the UK and foreign countries has lodged a case in the UK High Court asserting that any departure of the country from the EU's "single market" requires an act of Parliament that is separate from the legislation the litigants say is required to leave the EU.
Lord King: UK Should Leave EU "Single Market"

January 05, 2017

Former Bank of England Governor Lord King has asserted that Britain's impending departure from the EU offers "real opportunities" for economic reform and that the UK should make leaving the bloc's "single market" part of its plans for Brexit.