Ideas on Europe

Democracy & Citizenship

Institutional quality and geography of discontent in the EU

JCMS |

by Burhan Can Karahasan (MEF University) and Mehmet Pinar (Universidad de Sevilla and Istanbul Bilgi University)   In the 2016 Referendum, with a Leave vote of 51.89%, the United Kingdom (UK) became the first country to withdraw from the European Union (EU) officially. While the political and economic consequences of the Brexit process are still […]

The sun goes down in Retained EU Law, sort of

Simon Usherwood |

Christmas is, of course, the most Brexit-y time of year. Who can forget such classic moments as reading treaties under the tinsel in 2019 and 2020, or pondering the no-confidence vote in 2018 over a glass of eggnog? Obviously keen to keep up the tradition after a couple of fallow years, this time we get […]

Good Will to Migrants? A European Christmas Story

Dermot Hodson |

Every year, the Austrian delegation of the European People's Party, a centre-right political group, donates a Christmas tree to the European Parliament. Grown in Mariazell, in the picturesque forests of the Styrian Alps, this carbon-neutral silver fir is transported to Brussels by train and displayed in the European Union's legislature as a symbol of hope and friendship.  

Is sovereignty democracy?

Simon Usherwood |

I’ve been turned over this question for some weeks now, mainly because it has kept on popping up in different places. And because I fundamentally disagree. Last month, I heard the line ‘sovereignty is democracy’ fall from the lips of Bill Cash, speaking on a panel about Parliamentary scrutiny of European business. I had hoped […]

EU-UK Event - Simon Usherwood

eu!radio |

Every Monday, a member of the international academic association ‘UACES’ will address a current topic linked to their research. Very pleased to welcome you back on Euradio. Simon Usherwood, you are Professor at the Open University, and Chair of our partners UACES.         Listen to the podcast on euradio.       […]

Making Northern Ireland consent work

Simon Usherwood |

2024 is going to be a busy year for UK-EU relations. As much as we talk about the 2026 TCA review as a key point, next year will see a full refresh of EU leadership and the European Parliament, plus a probable British general election, plus whatever fallout from a US presidential election might occur. […]

Is Poland back in the Game?

eu!radio |

For our weekly editorial by UACES, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies, we have the pleasure to welcome back Dr Natasza Styczyńska from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

The Powers of the Council of the EU Presidency to shape the Art.7 agenda

JCMS |

by Gisela Hernández Liberal democracy has been systematically dismantled in Poland and Hungary. Despite a wide arsenal of enforcement instruments, the European Union (EU) institutions have not been able to tackle this rule of law (RoL) crisis. Indeed, Article 7, the Treaty provision designed to address systemic violations of fundamental values, has been dragging on […]

Crisis and Migration Policy-Making: Normalization of Exceptionality

Marguerite Arnoux Bellavitis |

In the first half of 2023, asylum applications have increased all over the EU compared to last year, raising fears of a new ‘crisis’. Since 2015, the crisis has been the main frame of reference for migration at the EU level.

Swiss Elections

eu!radio |

For our weekly editorial by UACES, the University Association for Contemporary European Studies, we have the pleasure to welcome Adrian Favero, from the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands.

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