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Niels Kirst (Dublin City University) Background of the case In its recent judgment, the European Court of Justice (hereafter ‘Court’ or ‘Court of Justice’) declared the reform of the retirement age of judges of the ordinary courts of the Polish judiciary contrary to European Union law (hereafter ‘EU law’). Besides...

November 19, 2019

Niels Kirst

Josh Hockley-Still (University of Exeter) ‘I will negotiate to the best of my ability a (Brexit) deal that will look after jobs and the economy. But the best way to look after jobs and the economy is for us to Remain.’ This recent quote, delivered by Labour’s Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry,...

November 14, 2019

Joshua Hockley-Still

Albert Sanchez-Graells (University of Bristol Law School) Brexit is creating a plethora of effects for the UK and the EU. Some are clearly visible, while others are not. Most of them are largely negative. From an economic perspective, it is only too clear that every Brexit impasse generates negative economic...

November 12, 2019

Albert Sanchez-Graells

Francesco Rossi (University of Ferrara) Introduction The entrance of the United Kingdom into the European Community pursuant to the European Community Act (1972) started a process of Europeanisation of UK law. The UK legal system has undergone profound transformations from the outside, but it has also driven the development of EU...

November 8, 2019

Francesco Rossi

Viviane Gravey (Queen's University Belfast) Another deal, another extension, another general election: recent Brexit developments invite us to revisit what we think Brexit means and the impact it will have on the UK in general and Northern Ireland in particular. This is notably the case for one of the (few) positive...

November 6, 2019

Viviane Gravey

Massimo Fichera (University of Helsinki) N.B. This article is part of a wider and broader debate over the consequences on Brexit of the landmark UK Supreme Court prorogation judgment. The discussion hosted by the Brexit Institute Blog about the judgment can be found here. On 24 September 2019, the UK Supreme...

November 5, 2019

Massimo Fichera

The partners of the BRIDGE project together before the kickoff conference!   Event Report: Launch of the BRIDGE Project (Brexit Research and Interchange on Differentiated Governance in Europe) 30-31 October 2019     Jasmine Faudone (Brexit Institute) On 30th – 31st October 2019 the Brexit Institute launched the BRIDGE Project (Brexit Research and Interchange on Differentiated Governance in...

October 31, 2019

Jasmine Faudone

    Is the UK having a rethink on Brexit? It appears so     Thiemo Fetzer (University of Warwick) New data from a comprehensive Survation poll covering around 20,000 respondents across the whole of the UK suggest that a significant shift is underway. The large size of the poll and the sampling method used...

October 29, 2019

Thiemo Fetzer

  Fools Rush Out: On the Withdrawal Agreement and EU (WA) Bill     Joelle Grogan (Middlesex University) Few actions when done quickly are done well – and law-making has certainly never been one of them. Late in the evening of 21 October 2019, the long-awaited, and highly controversial, European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill (WAB)...

October 25, 2019

Joelle Grogan

    Johnson, the Military, and the No-Deal     Luigi Lonardo (King’s College London) History books are set to write the name of the UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, as that of the man who will deliver Brexit despite the two conflicting motivations that he himself represented for his country. In his ‘acceptance speech’...

October 23, 2019

Luigi Lonardo

Flags of the G7 Summit. Image credit to Number 10 via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.   Ten Months Later: A Retrospective of Wightman      John Cotter (Maastricht University)   It is now almost ten months since the Court of Justice handed down its ruling in Case C-621/18 Wightman and Others v Secretary of State for Exiting...

October 21, 2019

John Cotter

  Boris and Varadkar in Dublin on Sep.9. Featured image credit: Number 10 via a BY-NC-ND licence.   A Backstop for the Backward?     Colin Murray (Newcastle University)   A Brexit deal is, on paper at least, done. Michel Barnier solemnly informed the gathered media that the controversial backstop arrangements contained within the draft Withdrawal Agreement’s...

October 18, 2019

Colin Murray

  Professor Fabbrini introducing the event (DCU Brexit Institute)   Event Report: Brexit and Data Protection (Talent Garden, DCU Alpha, 17.10.19)     Jasmine Faudone (Brexit Institute) On October 17th 2019 the Brexit Institute hosted the event “Brexit and Data Protection” at the Talent Garden-DCU Alpha, sponsored by Dublin Airport, AIB Ireland, Arthur Cox Law and...

October 18, 2019

Jasmine Faudone

Westminster. Featured image credit: UK Parliament via a BY-NC-ND licence.   What To Expect (From the EU Council) When You Are Expecting A Brexit Deal     Nikos Skoutaris (University of East Anglia) The ardent proponents of Brexit have long argued that a Brexit deal would only be done at the very last minute. According...

October 16, 2019

Nikos Skoutaris

  Boris and Donald Tusk at G7. Featured image credit: Number 10 via a BY-NC-ND licence.    Could the European Council grant the UK a new extension?      Thibaud Harrois (Sorbonne Nouvelle) In early September 2019, a few weeks after Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, French Foreign Secretary Jean-Yves Le Drian explained France was not...

October 15, 2019

Thibaud Harrois

    This article is the first of a Brexit Institute Blog Series on "Brexit and blockchain technology", where we aim to assess the impact of blockchain on the Brexit process under various perspectives. Other contributions are going to be featured in the coming weeks.  Brexit and Blockchain Technology     Lory Kehoe (Consensys) A cornerstone...

October 14, 2019

Lory Kehoe

Big Ben. Featured image credit: UK Parliament via a BY-NC-ND licence.   Some Consequences of a Brexit for EU Decentralised Agencies     Merijn Chamon (Maastricht University)   This blogpost expands on two of the consequences that a Brexit may have or has already had for the EU’s Decentralised Agencies. Relocation While the UK’s withdrawal from the EU...

October 9, 2019

Merijn Chamon

Brexit flag. Featured image credit: muffinn via a BY licence.   The politics of blame in the UK’s relationship with the EU     Paul Copeland (Queen Mary University London)   During the 2016 UK referendum campaign on UK membership of the EU the slogan ‘take back control’ became the dominant message of Vote Leave. ‘Take...

October 7, 2019

Paul Copeland

Growing Momentum for a Deal     Jennifer Powers (Alternative Arrangements Commission Technical Panel) Harold Wilson’s observation that ‘a week is a long time in politics’ needs updating for our Brexit times. After three long years of dithering and months of paralysis, the prospect of a deal has risen sharply overnight following the...

October 3, 2019

Jennifer Powers

The new European Commission and the future of the EU     Patrick Bijsmans (Maastricht University) It already seems ages ago that we had the kick-off of the European election campaign here in Maastricht on 29 April. The Maastricht Debate, as it was called, brought together the Spitzenkandidaten of five of the European...

October 3, 2019

Patrick Bijsmans

An Historical Perspective on Brexit: Six Theories     Gilles Grin (Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe and University of Lausanne) The United Kingdom and the European Union are just weeks ahead of the 31 October 2019 deadline when Brexit is supposed to happen. The future is yet to be written but it may...

September 30, 2019

Gilles Grin

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series on “The UK Supreme Court Judgment on Prorogation”. See also Simon Usherwood, Not the Best Way to Go about Things ; Stephen Tierney, The UK Supreme Court’s decision on prorogation ; Alan Greene, ‘Not a Normal Prorogation’:  Parliament, The Courts, the Crown...

September 30, 2019

Alan S. Reid

An alternative to the Irish Backstop: an All-Ireland “Common No-Custom Area” as a Frontier Traffic Area under Art. 24 of GATT for products originating in the island (“Ireland-Made”), allowing regulatory divergence by the UK in respect of the EU without necessitating a hard border in Ireland     Giorgio Sacerdoti (Università Bocconi)...

September 27, 2019

Giorgio Sacerdoti & Niall Moran

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series on “The UK Supreme Court Judgment on Prorogation”. See also Stephen Tierney, The UK Supreme Court’s decision on prorogation ; Alan Greene, ‘Not a Normal Prorogation’:  Parliament, The Courts, the Crown and The People ; Giovanni Zaccaroni, The UK Supreme Court Judgment...

September 26, 2019

Simon Usherwood

 This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series on “The UK Supreme Court Judgment on Prorogation”. See also Simon Usherwood, Not the Best Way to Go about Things ; Alan Greene, ‘Not a Normal Prorogation’:  Parliament, The Courts, the Crown and The People; Giovanni Zaccaroni, The UK...

September 25, 2019

Stephen Tierney

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series on "The UK Supreme Court Judgment on Prorogation". See also Stephen Tierney, The UK Supreme Court’s decision on prorogation; Giovanni Zaccaroni, The UK Supreme Court Judgment on Prorogation: Reaffirming the Centrality of the Parliament     ‘Not a Normal Prorogation’:  Parliament, The...

September 25, 2019

Alan Greene

The UK Supreme Court Judgment on Prorogation: Reaffirming the Centrality of the Parliament     Giovanni Zaccaroni (DCU Brexit Institute) Today, 24 September 2019, the UK Supreme Court released an historical and unanimous judgment on the justiciability and legitimacy of the Government decision to prorogue the Parliament (see our previous coverage on the...

September 24, 2019

Giovanni Zaccaroni

Britain’s exit into disharmony and resentment     Gylfi Zoega (University of Iceland and Birkbeck College) We have a prime minister who likes Churchill, has adapted his mannerism and may soon give his speeches. He expresses English nationalism, nurtured by many since the beginning of the 1990s through jokes at the expense of...

September 23, 2019

Gylfi Zoega

Thanks to Brexit: An ever-closer Union in financial supervision     Nathan de Arriba-Sellier (Leiden and Rotterdam Universities) Three years after the referendum, the path to Brexit has proven to be a litmus test for European supervisory arrangements. In addition to the preparations led by proactive and cooperating British and European authorities, a...

September 20, 2019

Nathan de Arriba-Sellier

‘Europe a fortress, Greece a prison, the Aegean a graveyard’: graffiti in Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece, 23 Aug 2019 (copyright Tom Flynn)   Undermining Our European Way of Life: the von der Leyen Commission Takes the Low Road     Tom Flynn (University of Essex) One of the most widespread and longstanding idées reçues of European...

September 19, 2019

Tom Flynn

The importance of being equivalent: Brexit and financial services     Scott James (King’s College London) & Lucia Quaglia (University of Bologna) Over the summer, the impasse in the negotiations concerning a new framework agreement between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland led to the EU’s withdrawal of Switzerland’s equivalence status in finance....

September 18, 2019

Scott James & Lucia Quaglia

Event Report: “Brexit, the Irish Economy and the Future of European Fintech”      On 16 September 2019 the Brexit Institute, in cooperation with Dublin Airport Central, has hosted an event on “Brexit, the Irish Economy and the Future of European Fintech”. The event, opened by Dalton Philips (CEO of Dublin Airport),...

September 17, 2019

DCU Brexit Institute

This article introduces the event "Brexit, the Irish Economy and the Future of European Fintech" that will be hosted by the Brexit Institute at Maldron Hotel Dublin Airport on Monday, 16 September 2019. The event features a keynote speech given by Paschal Donohoe (Minister of Finance of Ireland).     Brexit and the...

September 13, 2019

 Pierangelo Rosati

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series hosting the comments of scholars on “Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis”. See also Asif Hameed, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis: the Fixed-term Parliaments Act; Philip Cunliffe, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis: The...

September 12, 2019

Jack Simson Caird

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series hosting the comments of scholars on “Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis”. See also Asif Hameed, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis: the Fixed-term Parliaments Act; Philip Cunliffe, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional...

September 12, 2019

Tara McCormack

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series hosting the comments of scholars on “Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis”. See also Asif Hameed, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis: the Fixed-term Parliaments Act; Philip Cunliffe, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional...

September 12, 2019

Elaine Fahey

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series hosting contributions from scholars on “Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis”. See also Asif Hameed, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis: the Fixed-term Parliaments Act; Elaine Fahey, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis:...

September 11, 2019

Philip Cunliffe

This article is part of a Brexit Institute Blog Series hosting contributions from scholars on “Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis”. See also Philip Cunliffe, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional Crisis: The Europeanisation of British Politics; Elaine Fahey, Brexit and the UK Political and Constitutional...

September 11, 2019

Asif Hameed

The Irish Border and the Safeguard of the UK Territorial Integrity   David Collins (City University) The border in Ireland has emerged as the most significant, perhaps the only remaining barrier to the conclusion of sensible trade arrangements between the UK and the EU post-Brexit. It may also be the main reason...

September 10, 2019

David Collins

Boris Johnson's Non-Strategy for a No Deal Brexit   Scott Lucas (University of Birmingham) To state the obvious and essential point, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his senior Ministers and advisors are dedicating themselves to a No Deal Brexit crash-out from the European Union on 31 October. Johnson still makes noises...

September 9, 2019

Scott Lucas

No Deal, No Backstop: The Potential Impact on Northern Ireland   Cameron Boyle (Immigration Advice Service) As we hurtle towards our Brexit deadline of the 31st of October, the prospect of leaving without a deal appears increasingly likely. Not only this, but Boris Johnson has now described the Irish backstop - a...

September 6, 2019

Cameron Boyle

Consensus on Brexit is Impossible but avoiding No Deal is Within Reach   Jennifer Powers (Competere) The Brexit denouement moves a step closer this week. Yesterday in Parliament saw the latest battle in the decades old Tory civil war over Europe.  It threatens to bring down the Government, split the party and...

September 5, 2019

Jennifer Powers

The DCU Brexit Institute blog is hosting a debate between several authors on the Prorogation of the UK Parliament. This is the fifth blog post. See also: Chris White, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: the Impact of Brexit on the Commons ; Sam Fowles, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: Three Key...

September 4, 2019

Joelle Grogan

The DCU Brexit Institute blog is hosting a debate between several authors on the Prorogation of the UK Parliament. This is the fourth blog post. See also: Chris White, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: the Impact of Brexit on the Commons ; Sam Fowles, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: Three Key Issues ; Ian Cooper, Weaponized Prorogation and...

September 4, 2019

Alan S. Reid

The DCU Brexit Institute blog is hosting a debate between several authors on the Prorogation of the UK Parliament. This is the third blog post. See also: Chris White, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: the Impact of Brexit on the Commons ; Sam Fowles, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: Three Key Issues.   Weaponized Prorogation and the Harm to...

September 3, 2019

Ian Cooper

The DCU Brexit Institute blog is hosting a debate betweenseveral authors on the Prorogation of the UK Parliament. This is the second blog post. See also: Sam Fowles, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: Three Key Issues ; Ian Cooper, Weaponized Prorogation and the Harm to Democracy: Lessons from Canada ; Alan S. Reid,Prorogation...

August 30, 2019

Chris White

The DCU Brexit Institute blog is hosting a debate between several authors on the Prorogation of the UK Parliament. This is the first blog post. See also: Chris White, Prorogation of the UK Parliament: the Impact of Brexit on the Commons ; Ian Cooper, Weaponized Prorogation and the Harm to Democracy: Lessons from...

August 30, 2019

Sam Fowles

Do All Roads Lead to a No-Deal Brexit? The Prorogation of the UK Parliament  Giovanni Zaccaroni (Brexit Institute) Until recently, the idea that a prorogation of the UK Parliament could take place right before the final Brexit deadline appeared to be extremely unlikely. The appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister...

August 29, 2019

Giovanni Zaccaroni

The Italian political crisis: a new government or snap elections? Gianfranco Pasquino (University of Bologna) Governmental instability in Italy has never meant democratic instability. Governments have come and gone, on average every 15-17 months within a democratic framework rarely challenged except in a minority of cases. The Italian Constitution has always...

August 26, 2019

Gianfranco Pasquino

Political polarization in Spain and the election of the Prime Minister  Leonardo Álvarez Álvarez (University of Oviedo) The approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 was a consequence of a broad consensus between different political forces. However, Spain’s current difficulties electing a Prime Minister following the elections held on the 28th...

August 22, 2019

Leonardo Álvarez Álvarez

The Brexit process and the revocation of UK’s intention to withdraw from the EU Athanase Popov (European Commission) The ruling of the Court of Justice in Wightman is remarkable, to an extent rarely seen in the case-law of the European judicature, not only because this is a Full Court judgment, not...

August 20, 2019

Athanase Popov

How could economists make themselves useful in the Brexit debate? Marianna Koli (New College of Humanities) What should the priorities for economists be in communicating economic policy to the public at a time when trade policy may be changing fundamentally? Public interest in the economic implications of Brexit is certainly strong,...

August 15, 2019

Marianna Koli

Self-Rule in the 21st century: How UK Citizens Lose Influence Through Brexit  Christina Eckes (University of Amsterdam) ‘Take back control’ was the slogan of the vote leave campaign in the Brexit Referendum that was, at its heart, driven by concerns over self-rule for UK citizens. Theresa May’s famous Brexit speech...

August 13, 2019

Christina Eckes

The Common Travel Area and GATS Art. V Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (DCU Brexit Institute) The Common Travel Area and Movement across Borders between Ireland and UK As all of Europe is taking precautionary measures for the scenario of a No-Deal Brexit, let’s take a look at the Common Travel Area (CTA) and its ability...

August 8, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser

The Temporary Movement of Service Sector Workers After Brexit Johanna Jacobsson (IE Law School) Public discussion on Brexit has focused more on goods than services. That is understandable considering that trade in services is harder to explain and harder to put in numbers. It is also harder to liberalize than trade in...

August 6, 2019

Johanna Jacobsson

The appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister – plus ça change? Alison Young (University of Cambridge) On Wednesday 24 July, Boris Johnson was appointed as the UK’s new Prime Minister. He spared little time in reappointing a new cabinet; the dramatic change in personnel being referred to as ‘The night...

August 3, 2019

Alison Young

Prime Minister of the 0.3 Per Centers Stephen Gardbaum (UCLA School of Law) For the first time in British political history, a prime minister has been elected by the members of a political party and not, as previously, either by voters at a general election or by fellow elected members of...

August 1, 2019

Stephen Gardbaum

New Leaders and Old Problems: Brexit and the Rule of Law Crisis R. Daniel Kelemen (Rutgers University) The incoming President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson are very different sorts of leaders, but they do have a few...

July 29, 2019

R. Daniel Kelemen

‘Come What May’:  Boris Johnson’s Brexit Challenge Giulia Gentile  (King’s College London) Boris Johnson has won the leadership of the Conservative Party and is set to become the next Prime Minister of the UK. Since the 23rd of June 2016, UK politics have been dominated by the instability and uncertainty surrounding Brexit....

July 23, 2019

Giulia Gentile

Brexit’s Implications for UK-EU Relations in Justice and Home Affairs Christine Andreeva (Dublin City University)  The EU’s Area of Freedom Security and Justice (AFSJ; also referred to as Justice and Home Affairs - JHA) has a very specific mandate as compared to other EU policy areas. Officially a shared competence since...

July 19, 2019

Christine Andreeva

Von der Leyen’s Paper-Thin Election: Will She Keep her Promises? Giovanni Zaccaroni  (DCU Brexit Institute) The election of the President of the European Commission is the topical moment of the EU’s political life. The new Commission, in the aftermath of the May 2019 European elections, is expected to start its...

July 17, 2019

Giovanni Zaccaroni

As Brexit Advances, Grexit Recedes: The Greek Elections and the New Normal Angelos Angelou  (LSE  European Institute) One would be in for a surprise looking at the press coverage that Greece received after its recent elections on 7 July. The outside observer will find himself looking at two entirely different narratives....

July 12, 2019

Angelos Angelou

Not United, but Linked in Negotiations with the EU: Switzerland and the UK Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (DCU Brexit Institute) Since its decision not to join the EEA in 1992, Switzerland has been continuously negotiating with the EU on various aspects of cooperation, participation and integration. Most recent negotiations about an institutional framework...

July 8, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser

The New EU Top Jobs and the Future of Europe Federico Fabbrini  (DCU Brexit Institute) Les jeux sont fait. After extensive wrangling and negotiations, the heads of state and government of the EU member states found a magical compromise to identify the leaders of the top jobs for the EU’s next...

July 4, 2019

Federico Fabbrini

Switzerland-EU Bilateralism: From Pragmatism to Mutual Frustration Cenni Najy  (University of Geneva) Switzerland’s European integration trajectory has been unique and very puzzling to most observers. Switzerland is indeed a particular case. It is the only country of Western Europe not to have joined the EU or the multilateral association offered by...

July 2, 2019

Cenni Naji

Brexit, Spain and British Gibraltar Gerry O'Reilly (Dublin City University)   Brexit has been closely followed by UK and EU citizens alike in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar (area: 6.8 sq. km.) and its Spanish hinterlands - Campo de Gibraltar in Andalucía. For people there, as in Dundalk, Newry, Derry/Londonderry and...

June 27, 2019

Gerry O'Reilly

Brexit, the Euro Summit, and Eurozone Governance Reform Ian Cooper (DCU Brexit Institute) Last week’s summit of EU leaders was actually two separate meetings. On Thursday there was a meeting of the European Council, the heads of state and government of all 28 EU member states, which defines the political direction...

June 25, 2019

Ian Cooper

Brexit and the Political Economy of Northern Ireland M. Leann Brown (University of Florida) There has been a flood of speculation, analysis, predictions and dire warnings about the possible economic consequences of the secession of the United Kingdom from the European Union for Northern Ireland (NI). Much of this commentary focuses on...

June 20, 2019

M. Leann Brown

The Spitzenkandidaten Process: Requiem for a Misguided Eurodream?  R. Daniel Kelemen (Rutgers University)   According to its proponents, the Spitzenkandidaten process was supposed to help democratize the EU. So far, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. While there is evidence the Spitzenkandidaten process has had some beneficial effects for EU democracy, it has also had...

June 19, 2019

R. Daniel Keleman

Event Report: ‘Which Brexit After the European Elections?' Tom McDonald (DCU Brexit Institute) The Gallery Room at the Helix, Dublin City University (DCU) was bustling on 14th June 2019 at the DCU Brexit Institute seminar event ‘Which Brexit After European Parliament Elections?’. The event was divided into two parts: a keynote speech...

June 19, 2019

Tom McDonald

Facing the Rights and Equality Crisis: Achieving a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland in the wake of Brexit Anne Smith (Ulster University) and Colin Harvey (Queen’s University Belfast)   Brexit is giving rise to anxiety about a ‘major constitutional change’ that is creating ‘constitutional uncertainty’, but it has also resulted...

June 18, 2019

Anne Smith and Colin Harvey

BREXIT and Terrorism: EU Law on Terrorism Facing the Threat of BREXIT  Ferdinando Angeletti (La Sapienza University) and Giangiuseppe Pili (Dublin City University)   Introduction UK’s exit from the European Union is still not completed: according to the procedure defined by Article 50 of the European Union Treaty (so-called Brexit) the process is not...

June 13, 2019

Ferdinando Angeletti and Giangiuseppe Pili

European Elections: A European Perspective - Deadlock or a New Beginning?   Matteo Scotto (German-Italian Centre for European Excellence Villa Vigoni)   After months of harsh political campaigning in Europe, the elections for the European Parliament are finally behind us. Henceforth, the European Union will have to deal with one relevant novelty in the...

June 12, 2019

Matteo Scotto

European elections - The Italian perspective: Italian populist nationalism changes but remains in charge Francesco Clementi (University of Perugia) On Sunday 26th May 2019, Italian voters have voted to elect the new Italian representatives to the European Parliament. Before commenting on the results and their effects, three main elements can be...

June 11, 2019

Francesco Clementi

Peterborough: Labour’s squeaky victory and the vacuum on the right Alan Wager (The UK in a Changing Europe)   On 8 June 2017, Fiona Onasanya, the newly-elected Labour MP for Peterborough, averred that her victory by some 607 votes proved that "the people know there is a better way. I think I...

June 7, 2019

Alan Wager

European Elections - the UK Perspective. Brexit and the Unsettling of the Two-Party System Edoardo Bressanelli (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies)   If the British political situation could be summarised with a slogan, this would be “once upon a time: the Westminster system”. That is, a political system characterised by stable governments, strong...

June 6, 2019

Edoardo Bressanelli

European elections, European values, and Brexit Sébastien Platon (Bordeaux University)   The results of the recent European elections have shown a massive reshuffling of the European political landscape. The two European parties which have dominated the European Parliament for decades, the European People’s Party (EPP, centre-right) and the Socialists & Democrats (S&D,...

June 5, 2019

Sébastien Platon

Why Trump’s Trade Policy is no Friend of Brexit Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (DCU Brexit Institute)   The escalation in the numerous trade disputes initiated by the US government and the fact that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is unlikely to maintain a fully operational dispute settlement system beyond 2019 must be taken into...

June 4, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser

European Elections: The Silence of the Lambs and the Dangerous Political Resignation - The Portuguese Perspective Catarina Santos Botelho (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)   A week after 2019 European Parliamentary (EP) elections, there are several reflections worth considering. To begin with, the two traditional blocs – centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and the...

June 3, 2019

Catarina Santos Botelho

European Elections: A political earthquake which will not solve the Brexit saga Gianfranco Baldini (University of Bologna) and Andrea Pareschi (St. Anna School) Each European election is unique in their own way, and the election held a week ago in the United Kingdom had many reasons for being so. First, the...

May 30, 2019

Gianfranco Baldini and Andrea Pareschi

European Elections - The Polish Perspective Aleksandra Garlinska (European Parliament)   From 23 to 26 May 2019 across 28 EU countries, the second-biggest democratic vote in the world took place. 427 million voters have elected 751 representatives to the European Parliament, our Member of the European Parliament (MEPs). While in theory, European citizens...

May 29, 2019

Aleksandra Garlinska

May Day: Brexit & the Future of Europe Federico Fabbrini (Director, DCU Brexit Institute) On 23 May 2019 – exactly 35 months after the British people voted to leave the European Union (EU) – the United Kingdom (UK), against all expectations, held elections for the European Parliament (EP). On 24 May...

May 27, 2019

Federico Fabbrini

Brexiting Party Politics in Northern Ireland – Civil Society Alternatives Cillian McGrattan (Ulster University)   The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) topped the poll in the recent Northern Ireland local government elections: 24.1%, an increase of 1% from 2014, compared with its cross-community rival Sinn Fein, which won 23.2%, a decrease of almost...

May 23, 2019

Cillian McGrattan

Event Report: ‘Brexit and the European Parliament Elections 2019’ Tom McDonald (DCU Brexit Institute) The conference room at Europe House in Dublin city center was full on 16th of May when the DCU Brexit Institute hosted a seminar event on “Brexit & European Elections 2019”. The event was divided into two...

May 22, 2019

Tom McDonald

European Parliament elections in times of (delayed) Brexit Patrick Bijsmans (Maastricht University)   At the time of writing, we are nearing the third anniversary of the Brexit referendum of 23 June 2016. While a cause for celebration or a grave feeling of loss, depending on where you stand on the issue, it almost...

May 21, 2019

Patrick Bijsmans

The Ireland/European Election Conundrum Gary Murphy (Dublin City University)   Ever since Ireland first held contested elections to the European Parliament in 1979 conventional political wisdom has suggested that attitudes to the incumbent government or to the candidates on offer have shaped such elections in Ireland. Sentiment about the EU itself...

May 16, 2019

Gary Murphy

European Parliament Elections 2019 and the European demos in the midst of difficult challenges Anastasia Deligiaouri (Dublin City University) The European Parliament (EP) is the only institution in the EU, which enjoys a direct election procedure from European citizens. Multilingualism and multiculturalism are both inherent and well embedded in its structure and...

May 15, 2019

Anastasia Deligiaouri

The Composition of the 2019-24 EU Parliament – Challenges in Light of Brexit Rebecca Schmidt (Dublin City University) The decision by the European Council to grant a further extension under Article 50 (3) TEU to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will impact the EU Parliament in unprecedented ways. One crucial...

May 14, 2019

Rebecca Schmidt

The Good Friday Agreement and Brexit Rory O’Connell (Ulster University)   The murder of the journalist Lyra McKee on the eve of Good Friday 2019 is a tragic reminder of the successes and failures of the Peace Process, and the challenges facing it. That her death made international headlines reflects in one sense...

May 13, 2019

Rory O’Connell

Will Brexit Return Northern Ireland to War or Reinforce the Status Quo? Carolyn Gallaher and Kimberly Cowell-Meyers (American University, Washington, DC.)   A lot has been written about what Brexit may do to the British economy and its place in the world. People are also finally starting to pay attention to what Brexit...

May 8, 2019

Carolyn Gallaher and Kimberly Cowell-Meyers

Belated Brexit and Groundhog Talks in Northern Ireland Cillian McGrattan (Ulster University)   Fumbled Beginnings The latest round of talks in Northern Ireland to restore devolved power-sharing has not begun well. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP, Ian Paisley, for instance, has suggested that Tanaiste Simon Coveney should ‘butt out’ of Northern Irish...

May 7, 2019

Cillian McGrattan

What your vote in the European elections will and won’t change on Brexit Simon Usherwood (University of Surrey and UK in a Changing Europe) One of the less-noticed side-effects of the Easter break was that it made it almost certain that the UK will hold elections on 23 May for the...

May 2, 2019

Simon Usherwood

Brexit: the 2019 General Elections in Spain and British Gibraltar Gerry O'Reilly (Dublin City University) For months, commentators in Spain and abroad closely monitored the growing influence of populist and right-wing parties in Spain in the run-up to the 2019 General Elections. Similarly, events were closely watched by UK and EU...

May 1, 2019

Gerry O'Reilly

Years Into the Brexit Process, the UK Still Faces Fundamental Choices for its Future Relationship with the EU Pervez Ghauri (University of Birmingham) and Ursula Ott (Nottingham Trent University) Pervez Ghauri and Ursula Ott in their paper “Brexit negotiations: from negotiation space to agreement zones” use bargaining theory models of rational...

April 30, 2019

Pervez Ghauri and Ursula Ott

Would British citizens vote differently now that they know more about the EU-27’s response to Brexit? Charlotte Grynberg (London School of Economics) The 2016 Brexit vote was in many respects a leap in the dark: UK citizens voted to end their country’s membership of the EU without any indication of the...

April 25, 2019

Charlotte Grynberg

New Study by UNCTAD on Implications of No-Deal Brexit for Developing Countries Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (DCU Brexit Institute) A recent study by UNCTAD indicates that the poorest developing countries are at risk of a decline in exports to the UK in the case of No-Deal Brexit. On the other hand, industrial countries, emerging...

April 23, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser

'A Beacon to the World': The Good Friday Agreement at Twenty-One Donnacha Ó Beacháin (Dublin City University) The Good Friday Agreement, which is 21 years old this month, institutionalised a peace process that has fundamentally altered day-to-day life in Ireland, where an entire generation has grown up without the spectre of...

April 18, 2019

Donnacha Ó Beacháin

Ad Kalendas Graecas? The Future of Brexit and Its Consequences for the EU Federico Fabbrini (DCU Brexit Institute) On 10 April 2019 the European Council unanimously accepted a second request by Prime Minister Theresa May to further postpone the withdrawal date of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU)....

April 16, 2019

Federico Fabbrini

Thirty-Four Months On: What Next For BREXIT? Tom Frost (University of Sussex) On 10 April, an emergency meeting of the European Council was convened to discuss the latest developments on Brexit. On 5 April, the Prime Minister wrote to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, asking for a further extension...

April 11, 2019

Tom Frost

Does the House of Commons have power without influence? Jack Simson Caird (Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law) The impasse over the Withdrawal Agreement has highlighted the inability of the House of Commons to shape the substance of the Brexit deal. There is a growing sense of frustration at the apparent unwillingness...

April 8, 2019

Jack Simson Caird

Event Report: High - Level Policy Dialogue, 4 April 2019 Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (DCU Brexit Institute) On 4 April 2019, Grant Thornton hosted the High-Level Policy Dialogue between Georgios Papacostantinou (EUI School of Transnational Governance, former Finance Minister of Greece) and Denis MacShane (former Europe Minister of the UK), organised by the DCU...

April 5, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser 

Event Report: Brexit, the terms of Withdrawal and the Framework of future EU-UK Relations Cliodhna Joyce-Daly (DCU Brexit Institute) and Oliver Garner (European University Institute and DCU Brexit Institute) On 29 March, 2019, the Brexit Institute hosted the ‘Brexit, the Terms of Withdrawal and the Framework of Future EU-UK Relations’ conference...

April 4, 2019

Cliodhna Joyce-Daly and Oliver Garner

All-Island Customs Union: No Cure-All for the Irish Border Neither  Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (DCU Brexit Institute) The “All-Ireland Common No-Custom Area” as suggested by Giorgio Sacerdoti and Paola Mariani on this Blog yesterday has its merits: it liberates the UK from the need to remain in a Customs Union with the EU in...

April 2, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser

Giorgio Sacerdoti & Paola Mariani (Bocconi University) This article is a proposal which will be discussed in future blogs. (a) The situation envisaged under the Backstop. Let us first recall the terms of the issue. During the transition period (which will last until, at the latest, December 2022), the UK government will...

April 1, 2019

Paola Mariani and Giorgio Sacerdoti

Waiting for Brexit Kenneth Armstrong (University of Cambridge)  It is now two years since the UK Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to the President of the European Council Donald Tusk to notify him of the UK’s intention to withdraw from the European Union. If things had gone to plan, this would...

March 29, 2019

Kenneth Armstrong

Country before Party? Ioannis Asimakopoulos (DCU Brexit Institute) While preparations for a no-deal Brexit have intensified, while May’s deal has already been voted against twice, and with time running out, suddenly a glimpse of hope arose that a no-deal Brexit can be actually prevented. Ironically enough, it is not the...

March 28, 2019

Ioannis Asimakopoulos

The European Council Shrewdly Grants the UK a Short, Conditional Brexit Extension Ian Cooper (DCU Brexit Institute) Last night in Brussels, the leaders of the EU-27 made a cool, rational decision regarding the UK’s request for an extension of the Article 50 period. Theresa May had requested an extension of just...

March 22, 2019

Ian Cooper

‘May vs Erskine May’ - Brexit and the Speaker of the House of Commons Ian Cram (School of Law, Leeds University) This blog takes as its focus the ruling by the Speaker of the House of Commons on 18th March that the Government would not be allowed to bring back...

March 22, 2019

Ian Cram

Brexit in the Spirit of the Treaties Ton van den Brink (University of Utrecht) A new phase of Brexit uncertainty has started now that the British Prime Minister has asked for an extension of Article 50. Uncertainty on whether the EU will agree on the length of the extension, on how...

March 21, 2019

Ton van den Brink

The EU Should Insist on a Long Extension of Article 50 Nicolai von Ondarza (SWP) After the renewed rejection of Theresa May's withdrawal agreement and the symbolic rejection of a No-Deal-Brexit, the question of the extension of the exit process is now the main focus of the Brexit drama. On Wednesday,...

March 20, 2019

Nicolai von Ondarza

A Week is a Very Long Time in Brexitland Alan S. Reid (Sheffield Hallam University) Brexit continues to surprise, dismay and amaze in equal measure. Like any good soap opera, a good cliff-hanger ending is required at the end of every episode of Brexitland 2019. This week and last week were...

March 20, 2019

Alan S. Reid

Fog in Channel – The Continent is Confused Pietro Manzini (University of Bologna) Perhaps the famous headline 'Fog in Channel - the Continent is cut off' is a fake, but certainly in these days of Brexit the Channel is full of fog and the Continent – from where I write -...

March 20, 2019

Pietro Manzini

No Extension without Election European Parliament Elections as an Obstacle to Article 50 Extension Mauro Gatti After the 12-13 March 2019 parliamentary votes on Brexit, it would seem that the UK will ask the EU for an extension under Article 50 TEU, to prepare for a “no deal” scenario or to approve...

March 19, 2019

Mauro Gatti

The Fate of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Extension of Article 50 Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (University of Lucerne) Following the announcement of House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, the British parliament is unlikely to vote for a third time on the Withdrawal Agreement. The agreement has been rejected by parliament twice in...

March 19, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser

Towards a New Cliff Edge in May? Larissa Brunner and Fabian Zuleeg (European Policy Centre) While the outcome of Brexit remains unclear after yet more turbulence in the UK Parliament, what appears more or less certain is that the UK is unlikely to leave the EU on 29 March, though...

March 18, 2019

Larissa Brunner and Fabian Zuelegg

The Failure of the EU-UK Legal Guarantees to Save the Withdrawal Agreement Chloé Papazian (DCU Brexit Institute) Exactly three months have passed since the UK Prime Minister Theresa May postponed the vote by the House of Commons on the withdrawal agreement on 11 December 2018. The following day, she embarked upon...

March 13, 2019

Chloé Papazian

The ‘European Renewal’ of French President Emmanuel Macron Chloé Papazian (Dublin City University) On 4 March 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote an opinion article for a ‘European renewal’ addressed directly to the citizens of Europe which was published in several European newspapers yesterday. One year and an half after his speech...

March 6, 2019

Chloé Papazian

By Federico Fabbrini (Dublin City University) The European Parliament’s Committee for Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) recently asked Prof. Federico Fabbrini, Director of the DCU Brexit Institute, to write an in-depth report on the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The report "A Fiscal Capacity for the Eurozone: Constitutional Perspectives" is available here. This is...

March 6, 2019

Federico Fabbrini

UK and EU Intelligence Communities in an Age of Durable Disorder After Brexit Giangiuseppe Pili (Dublin City University) Brexit is a major challenge for the present and future security policy of both the UK and the EU. Indeed, all the different possible scenarios show that Brexit will pose several issues inside...

March 4, 2019

Giangiuseppe Pili

The Effects of Brexit on the Future of European Security Order and NATO: An Assessment Cornelia-Adriana Baciu and John Doyle (Dublin City University)  What helped the Spartan League to win the Peloponnesian Wars in the 5th century BC was the pursuance of a rightful and capable strategy. ‘Tactics without a strategy...

March 1, 2019

Cornelia-Adriana Baciu and John Doyle

The Show Must Go On: Understanding the Brexit Theatre Federico Fabbrini (Director, DCU Brexit Institute) Thirty Days. This is what’s left before the default exit of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). But the fans of the Brexit show have by now got used to coups de theatre...

February 28, 2019

Federico Fabbrini

An Overview of the No-Deal Brexit Omnibus Bill Clíodhna Joyce-Daly and Chloé Papazian (Dublin City University) Last Friday 22 February, the Irish Government published the Omnibus Bill also called the Consequential Provisions Bill 2019 for the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom Without a Deal which will enter into force if the...

February 27, 2019

Cliodhna Joyce-Daly and Chloé Papazian (Dublin City University)

Brexit and the UK’s Self-Exile from Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny of Europol Ian Cooper (DCU Brexit Institute) Today in the Romanian Parliament, there is a meeting of a body tasked with the democratic oversight of Europol, the EU Agency for Police Cooperation. It is called the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group (JPSG), and it includes...

February 25, 2019

Ian Cooper

The Future of the All-island Single Electricity Market Post- Brexit Dr. Tanya Harrington (Powerscourt Group)   Introduction The Single Electricity Market (SEM) has a proud 12-year long track-record of delivering secure electricity supplies to citizens on the island of Ireland. It is emblematic of EU energy policy for regional governance in terms of...

February 22, 2019

Tanya Harrington

The Affective Understanding of Post-Brexit European Integration Simona Guerra (University of Leicester) Theofanis Exadaktylos (University of Surrey) Roberta Guerrina (University of Surrey) Euroscepticism as a subject of research has taken a new turn following the 2016 British referendum to leave the European Union (EU) in terms of blame attribution and political polarization. Chris Flood...

February 20, 2019

Simona Guerra, Theofanis Exadaktylos, and Roberta Guerrina

Brexit and Family Business Yvonne Kiely (Dublin City University)  Insights on how family businesses can plan ahead for the consequences of Brexit urge a greater focus on family dynamics and next generation planning, according to Eric Clinton, professor at DCU Business School and Director of the DCU National Centre for Family...

February 8, 2019

Yvonne Kiely

Event Report: Brexit and Agri-Food Chloé Papazian (DCU Brexit Institute) On January 31, the DCU Brexit Institute hosted an event on Brexit and Agri-Food. The event was opened by Micheline Calmy-Rey (former President of Switzerland) and featured a Panel discussion with leading academics and industry specialists. The Panel included Eric Clinton...

February 4, 2019

Chloé Papazian

Is "Global Britain" a Viable Role for the Post-Brexit UK? Andrew Glencross (Aston University) The “Global Britain” slogan is the brainchild of Prime Minister Theresa May. She proposed the term in her first major speech on the UK’s post-Brexit posture as a way to fight off accusations that leaving the EU...

February 1, 2019

Andrew Glencross

Do “Realms of Gold” Await Global Britain in South America? Prospects for a UK-Mercosur Trade Deal Michael Mindorff and Louise Bekkers (Leiden University College The Hague) Last May, then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wrote rhapsodically of the "realms of gold" awaiting the UK in South America  after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The...

January 29, 2019

Michael Mindorff and Louise Bekkers

Emerging Post-Brexit Relations of Switzerland with the EU and the UK: New Year, New Treaties? Charlotte Sieber-Gasser (University of Lucerne) In its relations with Europe, Switzerland relies on more than 120 treaties regulating partial integration and sectoral market access in the EU and in the EFTA. The centrepiece of market access and partial...

January 24, 2019

Charlotte Sieber-Gasser

The Future of UK-EU Development Cooperation After Brexit: Finding a New Point of Departure Emmanuel De Groof and Andrew Sherriff  (European Centre for Development Policy Management – ECDPM) On Tuesday 15 January, the draft withdrawal agreement – the result of 18 months of intense negotiations between British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government...

January 21, 2019

Emmanuel De Groof and Andrew Sherriff

The Narrow Road to the Deep North: A Norwegian Escape Route for Post-Brexit Britain? Ciarán Burke (Friedrich Schiller Universität, Jena) “I am pro having my cake and pro eating it,” remarked Boris Johnson when explaining his Brexit stance in the spring of 2016. Three years later, the recipe for a digestible Brexit...

January 17, 2019

Ciarán Burke

Brexit: What Next? Federico Fabbrini (Director, DCU Brexit Institute) Last night the UK Parliament voted  resoundingly against the Brexit deal that the UK Government had negotiated with the European Union. As largely anticipated, and notwithstanding last minute political reassurances from the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, Prime...

January 16, 2019

Federico Fabbrini

After a No-Deal Brexit, How Would Scottish Salmon and Northern-Irish Sheep Reach the EU? Chloé Papazian (DCU Brexit Institute) Today, Tuesday 15 January 2019, the House of Commons will hold a historic vote on the proposed withdrawal agreement between the EU and the UK which, if approved by both the UK...

January 15, 2019

Chloé Papazian

Preparing for Doomsday: Financial Services After a No-Deal Brexit Ioannis G. Asimakopoulos (University of Luxembourg) Introduction They say that real life writes the best plots, and that could not be more true than in the case of Brexit. And while the majority of MPs in Westminster do not favour a no deal...

January 14, 2019

Ioannis G. Asimakopoulos

Article 50 After Brexit: Reforming Withdrawal and Opt-Outs from the EU Oliver Garner (European University Institute) On 15thJanuary 2019, the House of Commons is scheduled to finally hold the ‘meaningful vote’ on whether to adopt or reject the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. Despite the prevarication of the Prime Minister in delaying the...

January 9, 2019

Oliver Garner

Event Report: Brexit, the Backstop and the Island of Ireland Alessandro De Nicola  (DCU Brexit Institute) On 13 December 2018, the DCU Brexit Institute, in partnership with the Centre for Constitutional Change (CCC) organized an event on “Brexit, the Backstop and the Island of Ireland”, held at the Helix, in Dublin...

December 19, 2018

Alessandro De Nicola

Upcoming Event, 13 December: Brexit, the Backstop and the Island of Ireland The Irish Backstop Plan: Alternative Routes or Clearer Guarantees? Chloé Papazian (DCU Brexit Institute) The political chaos currently prevailing in Westminster has increasingly exposed the risk of a hard Brexit, namely a withdrawal of the UK from the EU in March 2019...

December 13, 2018

Chloé Papazian

“Global Britain” and India post-Brexit: From Visas to FinTech Tess Baker and Hannah Koole (Leiden University College The Hague) With Brexit less than four months away, the UK government will soon have to start turning the idea of “Global Britain” from a slogan into reality. According to the Withdrawal Agreement, the text of...

December 12, 2018

Tess Baker and Hannah Coole

Case C-621/18, Wightman v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union: The European Court of Justice confirms that Article 50 notification can be unilaterally revoked Oliver Garner (European University Institute) Introduction On 10 December 2018, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered its judgment in the Wightman case on the revocation of...

December 11, 2018

Oliver Garner

Defence, Security and Brexit: Ireland’s Dilemma Kenneth McDonagh (Dublin City University) EU security and defence cooperation has always existed in something of a quantum state – we can know where we are or how fast we’re moving but not both at the same time. In recent weeks both Emmanuel Macronand Angela...

December 10, 2018

Kenneth McDonagh

Can Brexit be Reversed? The Advocate General’s Opinion on the Revocability of Article 50 TEU Chloé Brière (Université Libre de Bruxelles) Since the EU referendum on 23 June 2016, the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union has been the source of very important legal questions, closely...

December 6, 2018

Chloé Brière

The Brexit Deal and Foreign Policy: The UK’s ‘Global Positioning’ between the EU and the US  Cornelia-Adriana Baciu (Dublin City University) The UK’s withdrawal from the €10 billion Galileo programme, and the intention to build its own satellite navigation system compatible with the US Global Positioning System, might signal a British foreign...

December 5, 2018

Cornelia-Adriana Baciu

The Brexit Deal and the UK-EU Security Relationship: Insights from the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration Helena Farrand Carrapico (Aston University) On the 29th of March 2019, the cooperation mechanisms and instruments of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) will cease to apply, in their current format, to the...

November 29, 2018

Helena Farrand Carrapico

The Brexit Deal and Gibraltar Maria Mut Bosque (International University of Catalonia) On the 25th of November 2018, the EU-27 leaders endorsed the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and approved the political declaration on the future relationship between the EU and the UK. These texts now need to be passed by the...

November 28, 2018

Maria Mut Bosque

The Art of the Deal: the European Council and Brexit Federico Fabbrini (Professor of European Law & Director of DCU Brexit Institute) On Sunday 25 November 2018 the European Council approved the Brexit deal, giving its blessing to the draft international treaty regulating the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU...

November 27, 2018

Federico Fabbrini

The Brexit Deal and Britain’s Steep Learning Curve Stephen Wall (former Permanent Representative of the UK to the EU) I have always thought of a steep learning curve as being both arduous and fast: you need to learn a lot, and quickly. But, in the case of Brexit, both the...

November 26, 2018

Stephen Wall

The Brexit Deal: The Final Steps to Its Approval Ian Cooper (DCU Brexit Institute) This morning, Donald Tusk announced that the EU and the UK have reached an agreement on a 26-page Political Declaration on the framework for a future EU-UK relationship. Together with the 585-page draft Withdrawal Agreement, this is...

November 22, 2018

Ian Cooper

Event Report: Brexit and Aviation Gabriel Grigore (Dublin City University) On 15 November 2018, the DCU Brexit Institute, in partnership with Dublin Airport Central organised a half-day conference on Brexit and Aviation, hosted at the Grant Thornton headquarters, in Dublin. After an opening message of welcome from Michael McAteer (Managing Partner,...

November 22, 2018

Gabriel Grigore

Upcoming Event, 13 December: Brexit, the Backstop and the Island of Ireland The Brexit Deal Would Resolve the Irish Border Issue – But No Deal is Still a Possibility! John Doyle (Dublin City University) Eileen Connolly (Dublin City University) The draft withdrawal agreement finalised between the European Union and the United Kingdom offers a roadmap...

November 21, 2018

John Doyle and Eileen Connolly

Upcoming Event, 13 December: Brexit, the Backstop and the Island of Ireland   The Brexit Deal's Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and the UK’s ‘Red Lines’ Chloé Papazian (DCU Brexit Institute) The road to the publication of the draft withdrawal agreement on Wednesday 14th of November was bumpy. To reach this agreement, both the UK...

November 20, 2018

Chloé Papazian

The Brexit Deal is the Best the UK Could Have Hoped For Angelos Chryssogelos (Harvard University) It is hard not to feel sorry for Theresa May. Her tenure as UK Prime Minister is not expected to last much longer once the House of Commons votes on the Withdrawal Agreement she negotiated...

November 19, 2018

Angelos Chryssogelos

Dispute Resolution in the Brexit Deal: Is There Salvation Outside the CJEU Church? Filippo Fontanelli (Edinburgh Law School) On 14 November 2018, the Commission published the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU (the Draft Agreement). The Draft Agreement is a draft of an international agreement between...

November 16, 2018

Filippo Fontanelli

The Brexit Deal Federico Fabbrini (Director of the DCU Brexit Institute) Yesterday evening, Wednesday 14 November 2018, the United Kingdom and the European Union reached an agreement on the terms of an orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU. The Brexit deal, which includes the full text of a withdrawal...

November 15, 2018

Federico Fabbrini

Upcoming Event: Brexit and Aviation, November 15. Full details here. Barry McMullin (DCU School of Electronic Engineering) I recently received an invitation from the DCU Brexit Institute to its event to be held today on the subject of Brexit and Aviation. It seems like an important and timely topic, with an excellent line...

November 15, 2018

Barry McMullin

Upcoming Event: Brexit and Aviation, November 15. Full details here. Andrew Murphy (Transport & Environment) In the jumble of issues that Brexit touches on, aviation is one that manages to regularly make headlines. From concerns about British manufacturing jobs in the sector, to allegations that Ireland is threatening access, to the risk posed to...

November 15, 2018

Andrew Murphy

Upcoming Event: Brexit and Aviation, November 15. Full details here. Cathal Guiomard (Dublin City University) Aviation is overwhelmingly an international business. On it depend key business and political flows - trade in goods and services, face-to-face communications based on crucial business and political travel, as well as everyday tourism and student backpackers....

November 13, 2018

Cathal Guiomard

If Money Talks, What Does it Say About Brexit? Iain McMenamin (Dublin City University) Politics used to be easy for British business. There was really...

November 1, 2018

Iain McMenamin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel steps down from her party’s leadership: Will her country’s Brexit position soften? Aaron Burnett (Emerging Voices Group, IIEA) Less than two weeks before announcing she would not campaign again to lead Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Chancellor Merkel appeared before the Bundestag to outline the...

October 30, 2018

Aaron Burnett

A Better Measure of the Will of the People Peter Emerson (de Borda Institute) In the Brexit referendum of June 2016, a majority of 51.9% of UK voters opted to leave the EU. However, this vote was in effect a vote of ‘no’ to EU membership rather than a positive ‘yes’...

October 26, 2018

Peter Emerson

Event Report: Brexit and International Development Cooperation Daniele Grippo (Dublin City University) On 11 October 2018, The DCU Brexit Institute, in partnership with the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) organized an event on Brexit and International Development Cooperation, hosted at the European Parliament Information Office, in Dublin. This event featured...

October 22, 2018

Daniele Grippo

Brexit and the Great Disruption in UK-Irish Relations John O’Brennan (Maynooth University) What we have seen play out in recent weeks in Brussels, Dublin and London is a remarkable ‘reverse asymmetry’ in UK-Irish relations: the historical dynamic of British power over Ireland yielded to the inside-outside asymmetrical logic of the Article...

October 19, 2018

John O’Brennan

Will a Hard Brexit Lead to a Hard Border? WTO Law and the Backstop Chloé Papazian (Dublin City University) On 7 December 2017, the EU and the UK Government concluded in a Joint Report that they should agree on a so-called ‘backstop’ solution for the Irish border to prevent a border between...

October 16, 2018

Chloé Papazian

What are the Likely Implications of Brexit for Africa? Niamh Gaynor (Dublin City University) During a week-long trip to several African countries last month, Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to deliver “a radical expansion of the U.K.’s presence in Africa” post-Brexit. This follows a long and, in many ways, successful relationship...

October 11, 2018

Niamh Gaynor

After a No-Deal Brexit, Would the UK Remain in the EEA by Default? Yuliya Kaspiarovich (University of Geneva) and Nicolas Levrat (University of Geneva) Brexit is a journey on uncharted waters. Diplomats, political scientists, economists and legal scholars have neither precedent nor theoretical framework to appraise and analyse the situation. If art. 50 TEU...

October 8, 2018

Yuliya Kaspiarovich and Nicolas Levrat

Perceptions of Brexit in Canada: Transatlantic Relations and Domestic Politics Achim Hurrelmann (Carleton University) While there has not been a broad debate about Brexit in the Canadian public sphere, the prospect of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU has generated considerable attention among Canadians. As a former part of the British...

October 2, 2018

Achim Hurrelmann

Politics, Not Interests, Will Shape the UK-EU Security Relationship Benjamin Martill (London School of Economics) Monika Sus (Hertie School of Governance)   The Easy Question? It was once thought that managing the security and defence aspects of Brexit would be easy. The intergovernmental nature of EU security and defence policy has always meant that...

September 26, 2018

Benjamin Martill and Monika Sus

Some Reflections on the Current UK and EU Positions on Brexit Chloé Papazian (DCU Brexit Institute) On 20 September 2018, Mr David Lidington, the UK Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is the de facto No 2 in the UK Government’s “chain of command” after Prime Minister Theresa May, visited the DCU...

September 24, 2018

Chloé Papazian

Scrutinizing Brexit in Europe’s Parliaments Katharina Meissner (Institute for European Integration Research, Vienna) In a recent blog post, Ian Cooper discussed the consequences of Brexit on inter-parliamentary relations in the EU. Yet, we know little about the involvement of national parliaments in the actual Brexit talks. In fact, the intensity...

September 18, 2018

Katharina Meissner

Event Report: Brexit: By Design or By Default? Assessing the State of the Withdrawal Process Chloé Papazian (DCU Brexit Institute) On 6 September 2018, the Brexit Institute organized the kick-off event of the academic year assessing the state of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. The event featured an...

September 13, 2018

Chloé Papazian

What does the Eden Plan tell about Brexit? Andreja Pegan (DCU Brexit Institute, Dublin) While negotiations between the UK and the European Union (EU) on the withdrawal, transition and future relations are nearing a close, it is time to think about how the UK will behave towards the EU after Brexit. Given...

September 11, 2018

Andreja Pegan

The German Bundestag and Brexit: Defending Stability or Calling for Change? Frank Wendler (Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main) The political debate on Brexit in Germany highlights two major questions: First, how to define the EU’s stance on the terms of the UK’s withdrawal and its future relationship with Europe; and second, how...

September 5, 2018

Frank Wendler

The Oireachtas and Brexit Gavin Barrett (University College Dublin) The Irish parliament has not traditionally been numbered among the stronger parliaments in Europe in exacting accountability in relation to European affairs, either in terms of its institutional strength or its activity level. However, it has over time undergone periodic reform, in...

September 3, 2018

Gavin Barrett

The Military Dimension of Brexit: A No-Deal on Defence? Lee D. Turpin (Lancaster University) Whilst much discussion of Brexit negotiations has focused on the economic interests at stake for both sides, future UK-EU relations on military matters remain perhaps too often overlooked. As this blog post makes clear, it is important not...

August 29, 2018

Lee D. Turpin

The Parliamentary Dimension of Brexit Ian Cooper (Dublin City University) The next event at the DCU Brexit Institute will feature numerous parliamentarians from across the EU. This is an opportune moment to consider the parliamentary dimension of Brexit. Brexit has been largely an executive-driven process, in essence a prolonged negotiation between the...

August 24, 2018

Ian Cooper

Five Reasons the May-Macron Meeting Won’t Change the French Position on Brexit Benjamin Leruth (University of Canberra) Last Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Theresa May at his summer residence in Bormes-Les-Mimosas. These talks were informal (Michel Barnier is and remains Chief Negotiator for the European Union), though it suggests a...

August 9, 2018

Benjamin Leruth

Mark Carney on No-Deal Brexit: This is Modern Central Banking, but Please Handle with Care   Donato Masciandaro (Department of Economics, Bocconi University and SUERF) On Friday the Governor of the Bank of England (BoE) Mark Carney said that there was as “uncomfortably high” risk of the UK leaving the European Union without...

August 7, 2018

Donato Masciandaro

Brexit and the Law: A Bird’s Eye Perspective Stephen Coutts (Dublin City University)   Introduction Brexit has become a veritable industry and legal writing is no small part of this massive and recent production. On the legal side there has been detailed and systematic analysis of the actual process of Brexit, the operation of Article...

August 2, 2018

Stephen Coutts

Second Thoughts on a Second Brexit Referendum Richard Bellamy (University College London/ European University Institute) Theresa May has announced there will be no second Brexit referendum under any circumstances, prompting the wits of social media to recall her similar assurances regarding a snap election and declare that naturally there will now...

July 27, 2018

Richard Bellamy

Preparedness and Contingency: The Commission Starts to Plan for a No-Deal Brexit Salvador Llaudes (Elcano Royal Institute) Chequers was supposed to be a turning point in the Brexit negotiations. It has indeed been so, although not in a completely successful way for the British Government. Since then, the political situation in...

July 25, 2018

Salvador Llaudes

The White Paper’s Answer to the ‘Brexit Trilemma’ (Part II) Chloé Papazian (European University Institute/ Dublin City University) The previous blog on this issue argued that the UK Government’s White Paper published on 12 July 2018 reflects a fundamental trilemma that the UK faces with respect to its future relationship with the...

July 23, 2018

Chloé Papazian

The White Paper’s Answer to the ‘Brexit Trilemma’ (Part I) Chloé Papazian (European University Institute/ Dublin City University)   On 12 July 2018, the UK Government issued its long-awaited White Paper setting out its proposals for the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. The Government dedicates a large...

July 19, 2018

Chloé Papazian

The UK’s White Paper is a Serious Offer: Ireland and the EU Should Give a Flexible Response Stephen Wall During the 2016 referendum campaign, the Irish Government vigorously warned of the damage a ‘leave’ vote would do both to its own national interests and to those of the island of Ireland as...

July 16, 2018

Stephen Wall

The Seven Circles of Brexit Ian Cooper (DCU Brexit Institute) Last Friday, it seemed as though Theresa May had secured her full cabinet’s agreement on a common negotiating position that would set the UK on a glidepath towards a soft Brexit. Days later this “Chequers agreement” was thrown into doubt by...

July 13, 2018

Ian Cooper

The “Known Unknowns” of Brexit A Flowchart Chronicle of a Mess Foretold Glyn Morgan (Collegio Carlo Alberto, Torino, and Maxwell School, Syracuse University) Teaching a class last year on Brexit to American students, I discovered that—like impatient readers of a “Whodunnit”—they wanted to know how it would all turn out. “Too early...

July 4, 2018

Glyn Morgan

Brexit, Ireland and the June European Council Federico Fabbrini Today and tomorrow, 28 and 29 June 2018, the European Council – the body grouping the heads of state and government of the EU member states, together with the President of the European Commission – was due to have a major meeting...

June 28, 2018

Federico Fabbrini

Event Report: Brexit, Customs and Trade Cornelia-Adriana Baciu On 14 June 2018, the DCU Brexit Institute organized an event on “Brexit, Customs and Trade”. This event featured an opening keynote speech by Michael Russell, Scottish Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe, followed by an expert panel discussion and...

June 22, 2018

Cornelia-Adriana Baciu

Brexit, Customs and Trade Edgar L. W. Morgenroth (Dublin City University) Edgar Morgenroth is Professor of Economics at the DCU Business School. He will be speaking in Dublin on 14 June at a public event on “Brexit, Customs and Trade” organized by the DCU Brexit Institute. The event will also feature...

June 13, 2018

Edgar Morgenroth

SLOVENEXIT? Brexit and the Slovenian Elections Andreja Pegan (DCU Brexit Institute) What elements of “Brexit” can we find in the latest elections in Europe held in Slovenia on 3 June 2018? Two issues that came to the fore in Slovenia were migration and healthcare. As was the case for UK voters in...

June 11, 2018

Andreja Pegan

Norway’s EU lessons – How Transferable Are They to the UK? John Erik Fossum (ARENA, University of Oslo) Hans Petter Graver (Department of Private Law, University of Oslo) The purpose of this short blog entry is to consider the transferability to the UK of some of the lessons from Norway’s EU...

June 5, 2018

John Erik Fossum, Hans Petter Graver

A Critical Perspective on “Associate EU Citizenship”   Martijn van den Brink (Max Planck Institute, Göttingen) Dimitry Kochenov (Faculty of Law, University of Groningen)   Brexit will almost inevitably result in a significant loss of rights, in particular for UK citizens. They will lose their EU citizenship and the EU citizenship acquis will not...

May 28, 2018

Martijn van den Brink, Dimitry Kochenov

The Implication of a Hard Brexit for the Island of Ireland: Challenges and Possible Solutions Federico Fabbrini (Dublin City University) Brexit poses major challenges for the relations between the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. In fact, if the UK were to leave the European Union (EU) without a withdrawal agreement, a transition...

May 22, 2018

Federico Fabbrini

The Institutional Consequences of a Hard Brexit - Key Findings by Federico Fabbrini (Dublin City University) The European Parliament's Committee for Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) recently asked Prof. Federico Fabbrini, Director of the DCU Brexit Institute, to write an in-depth report on the Institutional Consequences of a Hard Brexit. The report has...

May 17, 2018

Federico Fabbrini

UK-EU Intelligence Information Sharing after Brexit Chiara Graziani (University of Genoa) Intelligence information sharing is a crucial issue in the Brexit negotiations. The most recent stance of the UK government on EU-UK security cooperation, of which intelligence information sharing is part, was expressed in the government “Future Partnership Paper”, published in September...

May 15, 2018

Chiara Graziani

Labour Standards and the Future EU-UK Trade Agreement Mark Bell (Trinity College Dublin) There was relatively little attention paid to labour standards in the Brexit negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement. Of course, the free movement of workers and the rights of EU citizens has been a core issue in these discussions,...

May 10, 2018

Mark Bell

Event Report on “Brexit, Medicine and Public Health” By Ross Nugent (Dublin City University) On 3 May 2018, the DCU Brexit Institute organized an event on “Brexit, Medicine and Public Health”. This event featured an opening debate between Baroness Suttie (Member of the UK House of Lords, European Union Committee) and Paulo Rangel (Member of the EU...

May 9, 2018

Ross Nugent

Upcoming Event: Brexit, Medicine and Public Health, 3 May 2018 Brexit and the Irish Health System Anthony Staines (Dublin City University) Our nearest and dearest neighbours are engaged in leaving the European Union.  For Ireland, the experience may be less like your neighbours moving, than them moving, taking their house, garden, the...

May 2, 2018

Anthony Staines

Can UK and EU Environmental Law Stay Aligned After Brexit? by Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin City University) One of the most significant achievements of the European Union is the range of integrated environmental protection regimes it has developed, in diverse areas including biodiversity, climate change, water quality and air pollution. Britain’s exit...

April 24, 2018

Roderic O'Gorman

Brexit and the Future of Transatlantic Relations   by Joris Larik (Leiden University) Whatever the EU and UK end up deciding in their withdrawal agreement, transitional arrangement or future free trade agreement will be between them. To the rest of the world, it will be what lawyers call res inter alios acta—a...

April 19, 2018

Joris Larik

Upcoming Event: Brexit and Financial Services, 12 April 2018. Brexit, Open Banking and the FinTech Revolution Mark Cummins (DCU Business School) Before the UK referendum vote on the 23rd June 2016 and the subsequent uncertainty that has prevailed over Brexit, the European Union had already set in train what is to be a...

April 11, 2018

Mark Cummins

Today (April 10) is the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. To mark the occasion, the DCU Brexit Institute blog is publishing pieces by several authors on Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement. This is the fourth and final one. See also: Ben Warwick, Rights in Northern Ireland after Brexit: The Devil is in the Detail; Colin Murray, Policing and Security...

April 10, 2018

Mary C. Murphy

April 10 is the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. To mark the occasion, the DCU Brexit Institute blog is publishing pieces by several authors on Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement. This is the third. See also: Ben Warwick, Rights in Northern Ireland after Brexit: The Devil is in the Detail; Colin Murray, Policing and Security on the Island of...

April 9, 2018

David Phinnemore

April 10 is the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. To mark the occasion, the DCU Brexit Institute blog is publishing pieces by several authors on Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement. This is the second. See also: Ben Warwick, Rights in Northern Ireland after Brexit: The Devil is in the Detail; David Phinnemore, Protecting the Good Friday Agreement from...

April 6, 2018

Colin Murray

April 10 is the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. To mark the occasion, the DCU Brexit Institute blog is publishing pieces by several authors on Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement. This is the first. See also: Colin Murray, Policing and Security on the Island of Ireland Post-Brexit; David Phinnemore, Protecting...

April 5, 2018

Ben Warwick

Upcoming Event: Brexit and Financial Services, 12 April 2018. Ticking Clocks and Financial Markets: Brexit and the OECD’s 2017 Economic Forecast Michael Breen (Dublin City University) Elliott Doak (Kroll Rating Agency) The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier warns that the clock is ticking. Soon we will learn more about the UK’s future relationship...

April 4, 2018

Michael Breen & Elliott Doak

Transport and Trade Implications of Brexit by Edgar Morgenroth (Dublin City University) While it is generally accepted that Brexit will have a significant impact on UK-EU trade, the precise ways in which trade flows might be impeded is not often discussed. One important area where Brexit is likely to affect goods...

March 22, 2018

Edgar Morgenroth

The European Council Confronts the Post-Brexit Future by Andrew Duff The European Council (22-23 March) has to assess the strategic impact of Brexit on the future of Europe. Although the heads of government have followed the Brexit saga with regret turning to alarm, it is the Commission’s Task Force 50 under...

March 19, 2018

Andrew Duff

The European Parliament and Brexit (Part II) by Francis Jacobs (formerly European Parliament staff) Brexit has important potential implications for the European Parliament, reducing its size, altering the composition of its political groups and its overall political balance, and posing questions about the ongoing role of both British MEPs and British staff...

March 15, 2018

Francis Jacobs

The European Parliament and Brexit (Part I) by Francis Jacobs (formerly European Parliament staff) Brexit has important potential implications for the European Parliament, reducing its size, altering the composition of its political groups and its overall political balance, and posing questions about the ongoing role of both British MEPs and British staff...

March 12, 2018

Francis Jacobs

On February 15, 2018, the DCU Brexit Institute held an event on “Brexit, Climate and Energy Policy” organised in partnership with the Irish Environmental Protection Agency and the Political Studies Association of Ireland. The event was hosted by Arthur Cox. Opening Keynote Speech by Enrico Letta (former Italian Prime Minister...

March 8, 2018

Edoardo Bressanelli