Category: Institutions

Brexit and the Future of Local Government in Scotland

Serafin Pazos-Vidal In the process of Brexit, local government in Scotland will have specific concerns over funding, legislation and the division of powers, writes Serafin Pazos-Vidal. He argues that, based on the plans from both the Scottish and UK governments, it seems unlikely that Scottish councils will be given meaningful opportunities to contribute to Brexit …

The Supreme Court in Miller: Some Early Comments

Tobias Lock In ruling that parliamentary consent is indeed required before the UK’s EU withdrawal notification, the Supreme Court largely met expectations, writes Tobias Lock. He argues, however, that the Court’s determination that the practice of consulting the devolved legislatures is convention only and not law will have a political impact as the Brexit process …

European Disintegration Deserves a More Prominent Place in European Studies

María del Carmen Sandoval Velasco The various challenges facing the European Union and its seeming inability to adequately address them have arguably fuelled European disintegration, rather than integration, writes María del Carmen Sandoval Velasco. She argues that the European studies community should respond by giving European disintegration more attention and seeking to understand its role …

Brexit Moment: May’s Lancaster House Speech

Anthony Salamone Following the Prime Minister’s speech outlining the UK government’s priorities for Brexit, success in the negotiations will depend on the currently undefined details, writes Anthony Salamone. He argues that the UK government would do well not to repeat past mistakes in European negotiations and approach the Brexit talks with as constructive an approach …

Reaction: Scotland’s Place in Europe

Tobias Lock · Arianna Andreangeli · Owen Kelly · Anthony Salamone Expert Reaction Today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out the Scottish Government’s proposals on Scotland’s future relationship with the European Union, following the EU referendum in the summer. Our experts react to the paper, assessing what it means for Scotland’s relations with the rest of …

Brexit’s Legal Stumble

Cormac Mac Amhlaigh The central question of the High Court case on the triggering of Article 50 was whether that process would effectively undermine existing Acts of Parliament, writes Cormac Mac Amhlaigh. He explains that, while the High Court embraced the substantive logic that Article 50 could in practice compromise existing law, the Supreme Court …

The UK Gives up Foreign Policy Role and Influence, Post-Brexit

Kirsty Hughes In-Depth Analysis While much of the discussion around Brexit has focused on the Single Market and trading arrangements, foreign policy is another essential area that will be redefined by EU withdrawal, writes Kirsty Hughes. She argues that the UK will have minimal influence in the strategic direction of the EU, and that its …

The EU’s Sanction Policy towards Russia – Much Ado about Nothing?

Anna-Sophie Maass The EU’s approach to Russia since the onset of the Ukraine crisis has been characterised by internal divisions of opinion among the Member States, writes Anna-Sophie Maass. She argues that its relations with Russia, and in particular the issue of sanctions, will test whether the EU can achieve the objectives in its Global …