Democracy Impacts

Czech Official Raises Brexit Veto Threat over Migration

October 18, 2016

Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis has asserted that his country might veto any post-Brexit deal with the UK that would permit the country to retain membership of the EU's "single market" without providing for freedom of movement for nationals of EU member states.
Official: "Punishment" Approach to Brexit Will Harm EU

October 17, 2016

UK Secretary of State for Exiting the EU David Davis has warned EU leaders that any plan to punish Britain for leaving the bloc as a message to euroskeptics in other countries would likely backfire and lead to other governments choosing to hold their own votes on EU membership.
EU Leaders Hold Line on Migration in Brexit Deal

October 17, 2016

The Guardian reports that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, French President François Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have all recently denied that the UK can retain membership in the EU's single market without accepting the principle of free movement of EU nationals.
Hungary PM Seeks Constitution Change on EU Resettlement

October 17, 2016

EUobserver reports that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced his plan to propose an amendment to the country's constitution banning the resettlement of large numbers of migrants in Hungary by EU institutions without the approval of Parliament or the examination of individual requests by Hungarian authorities.
Politicians Push School Curriculum on EU Values

October 14, 2016

Politico reports that senior Members of the European Parliament are drafting plans for a network of European Parliament Ambassador Schools that would teach an EU-focused curriculum to “raise awareness of European parliament democracy and European citizenship values” in advance of the 2019 European parliamentary elections.
MEP: EU Cannot Split "Four Freedoms" in Brexit Talks

October 13, 2016

Member of the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt, who will be the Parliament's chief representative in negotiations over the UK's exit from the EU, has asserted that any split of the EU's "four freedoms" - of capital, goods, services, and people - as part of a Brexit deal would "destroy the union and its internal market."
Hungarian Officials Seek to Leverage Migrant Referendum Result

October 13, 2016

The Hungarian Government has characterized the result of its national referendum on the EU's authority to resettle migrants, in which 98 percent of participants opposed EU resettlement but voter turnout fell short of the threshold needed to be valid, as a "sweeping victory" and pledged to use the outcome to renegotiate EU resettlement policy.
EU Launches Common Border, Coast Guard Forces

October 12, 2016

As the EU recently launched a common Border and Coast Guard force to deal with the bloc's migration crisis, European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos celebrated that "from now onward, the external EU border of one member state is the external border of all member states – both legally and operationally."
British PM Sets Timeline for Brexit Trigger

October 12, 2016

In a recent speech, UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she would begin the process of making Britain a "fully independent, sovereign country" by notifying the EU by the end of March 2017 that the UK would be exiting the bloc and by repealing the 1972 Act that effectively enmeshes EU legislation and regulations with British law.
UK Ex-Ministers Call for Quick Brexit Process

October 12, 2016

A "Brexit Blueprint" from a group of former UK Government Ministers led by John Redwood MP calls on Prime Minister Theresa May to hasten the process of exiting the EU by permitting the country to fall back on World Trade Organization rules if the EU refuses the UK's offer of continuing favorable trade terms.