Democracy Impacts

German Official Supports Rethink of EU Migrant Benefits

January 04, 2017

Deutsche Welle reports that remarks from Sigmar Gabriel, a German economy minister and deputy of Chancellor Angela Merkel, in support of reducing child benefits payments to EU migrant workers whose children live in other countries have stirred debate over EU rules regulating benefits for the bloc's migrant labor market.
British PM Hints at Brexit Transition Deal with EU

January 04, 2017

AFP reports that, in testimony before a parliamentary committee, British Prime Minister Theresa May echoed sentiments from officials in her government signaling willingness to consider a transition deal that would keep UK industry in the EU, and subject to the rulings of the bloc's courts, following the negotiation of Brexit.
EU Prepares for Post-Brexit Transition Period

January 04, 2017

An article from Politico sheds light on European Commission negotiator Michel Barnier's expectations regarding the process of the UK's exit from the EU, beginning with the formal withdrawal of Britain from the bloc, followed by a potentially lengthy transition period during which the UK would still be subject to EU law and paying into the supranational organization's budget.
UK Banks Explore Legal Options for EU Transition Deal

January 04, 2017

Reuters reports that a group of law firms has advised UK banks on how they might file a legal complaint in the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) using international treaty rules to force the EU to extend them a transition deal that would permit them to continue to operate in the EU - and remain subject to ECJ decisions - after Brexit.
Hannan: Democracy Is Preferable to EU "Technocracy"

January 04, 2017

UK Member of the European Parliament Daniel Hannan writes that calls in the UK to strip voters of the results of their June 2016 decision to leave the EU violates the principle that democracy is the best way through which government can settle competing interests.
Swiss Parliament Declines to Cap EU Migration

January 03, 2017

Politico reports that the Swiss parliament has complied with the European Commission's "red line" on the principle of free movement, despite a 2014 referendum in which Swiss voters called for migration restrictions, by adopting legislation that creates labor market restrictions for EU workers but does not cap migration from the bloc.
UK Official Warns of Overbroad EU Transition Deal

January 03, 2017

Reuters reports that UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox has stated that, while a transitional agreement between Britain and the EU following the official "Brexit" deadline may be necessary, such a deal must recognize the decision of voters to remove the UK from EU control.
French Disenchantment Signals Trouble for EU

January 02, 2017

The New York Times reports that the disenchantment of French voters with the consolidation of EU power and with the bloc's migrant resettlement policies, and the corresponding expansion of support for the National Front political party, could spell trouble for the future of the EU following the country's presidential election later this year.
EU Official Seeks £50 Billion Brexit Bill

January 02, 2017

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

December 30, 2016

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