Democracy Impacts

EU Leader Denies UK Additional Reform

June 22, 2016

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has stated that the EU will offer Britain no new negotiations over its relations to the bloc following this week's UK referendum on EU membership.
EU Leaders Threaten End to UK Bank "Passports"

June 21, 2016

Reuters reports that government officials from EU member states have threatened heightened obstacles to UK banks, which can currently sell their services freely across EU borders, in the case of a British exit from the EU.
Norway PM Calls for UK Remain Vote

June 21, 2016

In spite of the outcomes of two past Norwegian referendums in which citizens voted against joining the EU, the Prime Minister of Norway has intervened in the debate over a British EU exit by asserting that British voters should side with remaining in the bloc because a "Brexit" would cause them to lose their voice in the fashioning of EU policies.
EU Official: Brexit Would Permit Further Integration

June 17, 2016

At an event in Brussels, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Günther Oettinger predicted that a British exit from the EU would remove roadblocks to further integration among EU member states, including on matters related to security and foreign policy.
British Campaign Outlines Post-Brexit Plans

June 15, 2016

The UK campaign for leaving the EU has published an outline of its plans following a "Brexit" vote, including an immediate "end to the European Court of Justice's control over national security," a halt to free movement for EU nationals into Britain, and the negotiation of a new trade deal with the bloc by 2020.
Tusk Offers Nods Toward Euroskeptics

June 15, 2016

Politico reports that, in recent speeches, European Council President Donald Tusk is joining a cadre of EU officials and diplomats in shrugging off "naïve Euro-enthusiastic visions of total integration" in favor of a "pause" in EU integration that leaves power in the hands of national governments to solve European crises.
MEP Blames EU Divisions on Poor Communication

June 15, 2016

Czech Member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský asserts that, to continue EU integration in the face of countervailing pressure such as an internal lack of support and external pressure from Russia, the EU needs to sustain a dialogue with citizens on policies that are "understandable" to the general public and will help ordinary people.
French Diplomats Seek Punitive Brexit

June 13, 2016

Politico reports that "senior EU diplomatic sources" are calling for tough trade terms negotiated at a quick pace between a newly independent Britain and the EU in order to discourage other countries from leaving the bloc in case the UK votes to leave the EU in an upcoming referendum.
Academic: Conflict May Estrange Poland from Brussels

June 13, 2016

Norbert Maliszewski of the University of Warsaw writes that, if it pushes on with its rule of law investigation of Poland, the European Commission risks relegating the country to a "European Union B" group where voters feel estranged from EU officials and institutions.
EU Integration "Architect" Calls for "European Pause"

June 09, 2016

In an interview with Politico, French diplomat Hubert Védrine, a key participant in the development of the euro currency and the passport-free Schengen Area, calls on EU member states to respond to voter disenchantment with centralization of powers in Brussels by seeking a "pause" in the integration of the bloc.