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A fortnight after the British referendum on EU membership, Britain is still in turmoil. Some of the negative lessons are all too clear: don’t try to solve party political problems by invoking existential issues; referendums are volatile and uncertain; if you must have one, get a crack team together first. But, as weary politicians are fond of saying,Continue reading “‘Taking back control’? After the Brexit referendum”

  In its EU-related judgements, the German Federal Constitutional Court has frequently reminded the Bundestag of its government-related responsibilities, that is, to hold the government accountable and to scrutinise executive behaviour in EU-level negotiations. During the eurozone crisis, the parliament’s budget autonomy has also entered the limelight. One the one hand, the Court has beenContinue reading “The German Federal Constitutional Court – Defender of Parliamentary Democracy or an Alternative ‘Political’ Arena?”

Britain has voted to leave the European Union (EU), or more accurately, England has voted to leave. The majority in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar voted to remain. The opinion polls, the bookies and the markets did not predict this outcome. The mood of the nation, it would seem, is becoming increasingly difficult to measure. Or is it?Continue reading “Brexit and the Idea of European Disintegration”

This blog post is the fifth in a series of posts that come from students of our 2nd year undergraduate “Politics of the EU” course. As part of the course, students were asked to write about an issue pertaining to EU politics. The best blog posts have been selected to provide an opportunity to exceptional youngContinue reading “Intergovernmentalism and the crisis of the Euro”

By Roland Erne* All European citizens have just been stripped of their European citizenship rights in Northern Ireland and Britain. Hence, no European right to vote in local elections, no European social rights (e.g. no European Health Insurance Card), and no European right to be treated equally anymore. What a ‘success’ for the ‘internationalist’ pro-Brexit left ofContinue reading “A victory for the ‘internationalist’ pro-Brexit left?”

This blog post is the fourth in a series of posts that come from students of our 2nd year undergraduate “Politics of the EU” course. As part of the course, students were asked to write about an issue pertaining to EU politics. The best blog posts have been selected to provide an opportunity to exceptional young scholarsContinue reading “The Democratic Deficit of the Common Security and Defence Policy?”

This blog post is the third in a series of posts that come from students of our 2nd year undergraduate “Politics of the EU” course. As part of the course, students were asked to write about an issue pertaining to EU politics. The best blog posts have been selected to provide an opportunity to exceptional young scholarsContinue reading “European Parliament election turnout: What is wrong, what has been done, and what further action could be taken?”

This blog post is the second in a series of posts that come from students of our 2nd year undergraduate “Politics of the EU” course. As part of the course, students were asked to write about an issue pertaining to EU politics. The best blog posts have been selected to provide an opportunity to exceptional young scholarsContinue reading “The Refugee Crisis: Pushing EU Integration to its Limit”

  This blog post is the first in a series of posts that come from students of our 2nd year undergraduate “Politics of the EU” course. As part of the course, students were asked to write about an issue pertaining to EU politics. The best blog posts have been selected to provide an opportunity to exceptional youngContinue reading “Security Through Integration? Europe’s Promise to Ukraine”

A Report from the Ninth Europe-Ukraine Economic Forum, Lodz, Poland, 24-26 January, 2016. By Marie Cross, Senior Fellow. Institute for International and European Affairs (IIEA) On behalf of the IIEA, I attended a session of the Europe – Ukraine Economic Forum in Lodz, Poland on 24-26 January, organised by the Polish Foundation for Eastern Studies. It provided a usefulContinue reading “Europe, Ukraine and Russia: Where are we now?”