Democracy Impacts

EU Official Seeks £50 Billion Brexit Bill

January 02, 2017

The Telegraph reports that the European Commission's chief negotiator for a post-Brexit deal with the UK, Michel Barnier, has proposed to colleagues that the EU bill the UK £50 billion for pensions, loan guarantees, and UK-based project spending once the country's Prime Minister triggers negotiations to leave the bloc.
Commission Plans Uniform EU Child Benefits Rules

December 30, 2016

Politico reports that, as part of the European Commission's plans to legislate the extent to which national governments may restrict welfare and unemployment benefits for migrants from other EU countries, the body will seek to centralize policies on child subsidies across the bloc by introducing an EU policy on the “coordination of family benefits."
EU Leaders Oppose Plan for UK "Associate Citizenship"

December 20, 2016

The Guardian reports that EU leaders and national governments are voicing skepticism regarding a pledge from Belgian Member of the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt to put on the table during Brexit negotiations the possibility of "associate citizenship" in the EU for UK citizens, with some suggesting that the pledge threatens Verhofstadt's credibility.
UK Lords Committees Call for Transitional EU Deal

December 20, 2016

Two UK House of Lords Committees on the EU have published a report calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to strike a transitional trade deal with other EU member states that would extend the period during which the bloc's rules and judgments of the Court of Justice of the EU would apply to British businesses past the date on which Brexit occurs.
Lawyer Seeks ECJ Ruling on Brexit Questions

December 19, 2016

The BBC reports that a lawyer is seeking to launch a lawsuit in Irish courts aimed at obtaining a ruling from the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) on whether the UK has already triggered the two-year process of leaving the EU and whether the British Parliament can reject any Brexit deal agreed between the EU and the UK Government.
Campaigners Plan UK Suit over "Single Market" Exit

December 19, 2016

Reuters reports that a group of campaigners has announced plans to sue the British Government to deter it from leaving the European Economic Area (EEA), which contains the EU's so-called "single market," as part of its Brexit plans, arguing that the notification required to depart the EEA is separate from that required to leave the EU.
UK Secretary Predicts Tax Cut Response to Punitive Brexit

December 19, 2016

The Telegraph reports that, in a meeting with London business leaders, UK Secretary of State for Exiting the EU David Davis asserted that Britain would respond to any attempt by EU members to punish the UK over Brexit by cutting corporate taxes and deregulating the economy to make the UK more attractive to businesses operating in Europe.
UK Banks Seek Five-Year Post-Brexit Transition

December 16, 2016

Reuters reports that a set of UK banks are lobbying the country's government to strike a deal with EU negotiators providing that financial institutions would be subject to EU laws and to the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU for up to five years following Britain's exit from the bloc.
UK Parliament Vote Calls for Brexit Trigger

December 15, 2016

An article in The Telegraph explains a recent, non-binding vote taken by the British Parliament calling on Prime Minister Theresa May to formally notify the EU institutions of the country's intent to leave the bloc, triggering the beginning of Brexit negotiations with other EU members, by March 2017.
EU Secret Consultations Raise Democracy Concerns

December 14, 2016

Politico reports that the increasing use of informal "trilogues" among the EU institutions, to speed up consideration of legislation by using secret consultations among supranational officials, is raising concerns regarding democracy and openness in the EU following the decision of the UK to leave the bloc.