– how the world has changed since June 23
The year 2017 has been as interesting as it has been frustrating for Brexiters and Bremainers alike. Article 50 was triggered and a snap election was held in the UK, but instead of giving direction and a strong mandate to the negotiations, the exact opposite has happened.
Read MoreA recent Eurobarometer poll with 31,946 respondents from all 28 European Union member states has shown a massive support for free movement of people, goods and services within the union. Even in the United Kingdom there appears to be a clear majority of 63% supporting free movement, making the on-going Brexit negotiations even more challenging. While the support for free movement in the UK pales in comparison to the 95% of Latvians supporting it, it is still a surprising number considering that many commentators and politicians have interpreted the narrow UK rejection of the…
Read MoreThe European Commission has appointed French career politician Michel Barnier, a former Minister of France and two times European Commissioner, as the Commission’s chief negotiator with the UK over the Brexit. Barnier’s appointment has drawn criticism from several quarters, with one analyst noting, that this is the Commission’s first decision since the Brexit vote, and it is a bad one. Although an experienced politician, who was first elected Member of the French parliament aged 27 in 1978, Barnier is also known as mono-linguist with a limited working knowledge of English. From…
Read MoreOne of the first direct consequences of the Brexit on the workings of the European Union has come to light, as UK Prime Minister Theresa May has told EU President Donald Tusk, that the UK will not take up the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2017 as otherwise planned. The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is rotating between the member states every half year, and it has yet to be decided who will take up the presidency instead of…
Read MoreThe discussions about what to do after the Brexit referendum has moved to Bruxelles, where there has been a number of meetings in the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the European Commission in recent days. At a meeting in the European Parliament, a smug and bellicose Nigel Farage told his fellow parliamentarians that Isn’t it funny? When I came here 17 years ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign go get Britain out of the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well, I…
Read MoreJonathan Hill, former leader of the House of Lords, has turned in his resignation as the UK Commissioner in the European Commission in the wake of the UK Brexit referendum. As the European Commissioner responsible for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, Hill was considered one of the most influential and important members of the Juncker commission. According to The Guardian, Hill’s departure “became a foregone conclusion after the vote for Brexit, because many European politicians oppose having a Briton in charge of financial services when the UK…
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