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The Protocol/Windsor Framework: Getting Stormont Heard

David Phinnemore* (Queen’s University Belfast) The return of Stormont means that members of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLAs) can now get their voice heard directly on the operation of the Windsor Framework.  A key moment will come in November/December when MLAs will hold a ‘Democratic Consent’ vote on whether core provisions of the Protocol/Windsor Framework governing…
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26 Good Fridays Later, Power-Sharing Institutions are Up and Running

Feargal Cochrane* (University of Kent) Enoch Powell, the former Ulster Unionist Party MP for South Down, once famously remarked that ‘all political careers end in failure’. In view of recent events within the leadership of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), he could have added, that some also end in disgrace and humiliation, as his former protégé…
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Lessons From the Irish and French Constitutional Revision Debates:  Beware of Appearances

Camille Barbe (Université de Bordeaux) In the history of feminist constitutional discourse, March 8, 2024, will go down as a date to remember. While annually, this day celebrates international women’s day, this year it also marked the simultaneous unfolding of constitutional amendment procedures in two European countries, Ireland and France. While both tackled feminist issues,…
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How the EU could support Ukraine – by using Russian state funds

Dr. Jonas J. Driedger (Goethe University Frankfurt) European Commission officials are currently preparing a proposal to support Ukraine through future profits from Russian state funds that are frozen on EU accounts. Despite some legal and political concerns, the officials seem confident and EU leaders will discuss the proposal at the European Council to be held…
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Capital Markets Union reboot: For a competitive Europe and to finance the transitions?

Christy Ann Petit (DCU) ‘Open, well-functioning, and integrated European capital markets are crucial to promote the single market and to attract the necessary investments, and thereby to boost the EU’s global competitiveness, innovation, sustainable growth, and job creation.’ This is how the last Eurogroup in inclusive format statement starts. Considering the financing needs in the…
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The Far-Right Rises in Portugal’s 2024 Parliamentary Elections: “No is No!” 

Marta Vicente (UCP Porto School of Law) The 2024 parliamentary elections, which took place on 10 March 2024, brought profound but still undetermined consequences for Portugal’s political system. Though obtaining its worst electoral result ever, the centre-right coalition (“Aliança Democrática”) managed to win the election, achieving 79 out of 226 mandates. “Chega”, the far-right party,…
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Understanding the New European Defence Industrial Strategy

Davide Genini (Dublin City University) On 5 March 2024, the European Union (EU) adopted its first European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS). Building on the 2022 Strategic Compass and the Versailles Declaration, the EDIS is the blueprint for the defence industry at EU level for the next decade, with 19 ambitious initiatives and 5 main pillars,…
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Liberal Europeanist Stubb Becomes the President of Finland

Maarika Kujanen and Tapio Raunio (Tampere University) On 1 March Alexander Stubb, 55, takes office as the 13th president of Finland. Stubb was the candidate of the National Coalition (conservatives) and had previously served as a member of the European Parliament (2004-2008), foreign minister (2008-2011), minister for European affairs and trade (2011-2014), prime minister (2014-2015),…
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The Second Coming of Ursula von der Leyen

Andrew Duff (European Policy Centre) Election fever has hit Brussels town. At the level of the European Union, of course, these five-yearly elections to the European Parliament are more about armchair speculation than active campaigning. The focus of attention is the hard right and far right where numerous populist parties are expecting to make gains…
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Lord Cameron returns—what next for UK-EU relations?

John Bell, LLM (Queen Mary University of London)* Introduction 13 November 2023 saw the return of former Prime Minister David Cameron to frontline politics as Foreign Secretary. Given that he is not an MP, the now Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton became the first Foreign Secretary to hold office from the House of Lords since…
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Ireland v UK II and Inter-State Cases

David Keane (Dublin City University) On 19 January 2024, Ireland lodged a new inter-State case against the United Kingdom under Article 33 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In its application, Ireland will argue that the provisions of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 are incompatible with the UK’s obligations…
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Stubb’s Election as President to Anchor Finland at the Centre of NATO

Eoin Micheál McNamara (Finnish Institute of International Affairs) eoin.mcnamara@fiia.fi  Finland has a semi-presidential system of government where the President of Finland has comparatively more power over foreign and security policy compared to many more ceremonial presidencies in other Western democracies. Historically, Finnish presidents have held the defining role when deciding the country’s foreign policy. This…
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The New French Immigration Law II: The Manipulation of the Constitutional Review Process

Théo Fournier (European University Institute) 1 – The use of constitutional review to stay in control of the media narrative The immigration bill saga has brought to light President Macron’s strategic use of constitutional review to shift both media and public attention away from the sensitive turns in the immigration bill discussions.  Since his election…
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The New French Immigration Law I: A Win for Macron, but Normalizing the Ideas of the Far-Right

Théo Fournier (European University Institute) 1 – Introduction On January 26, French President Emmanuel Macron promulgated a new immigration law. This law, titled “Law to Control Immigration, Improve Integration,” came about nearly a year after Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin initially presented a draft to the Senate.  Like the other dozens of immigration laws adopted over…
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From Breakthrough to Brake-up? The Restoration of Power Sharing in Northern Ireland

Colin Murray (Newcastle Law School) The Safeguarding the Union arrangement between the DUP and the UK Government has finally secured the resumption of power sharing in Northern Ireland. By ending the DUP boycott and restoring functioning governance to Northern Ireland, a goal which for so long seemed so unachievable, the deal guaranteed Rishi Sunak a favourable…
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Event Report – EU Foreign and Security Policy: Two Years After Russia’s Invasion

Reports prepared by Federica Fazio and Davide Genini (Dublin City University) On Thursday, 25th January 2024, the Brexit Institute hosted a high-level event on “EU Foreign and Security Policy: Two Years after Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”. The event featured an opening keynote speech by Ms. Federica Mogherini, former EU High Representative for Foreign & Security…
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The non-ratification of the reform of the ESM by the Italian Parliament and the dilemma of the vincolo esterno

Giovanni Zaccaroni (University of Milano-Bicocca) The existence of the vincolo esterno (‘external constraint’) has been crucial to ensure the alignment of Italy to the EU’s economic and monetary policies. It is also helpful to explain, this time, the reason why the Italian Parliament did not authorise the ratification of reform of the European Stability Mechanism…
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