Guerre en Ukraine : « Un geste fort pourrait être de livrer une cinquantaine de chars Leclerc » 22 September 2022
The Aftermath of Brexit: Brexit and Irish Reunification 21 September 2022
Brexit has revived past issues about human rights before the signage of the Belfast Agreement (1998). Indeed, the United Kingdom (UK) has been sued in front of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for human rights violations over the years. This has led some scholars, such as Donald Jackson, to depict the UK as the ‘most frequent violator’ of human rights regarding the people of Northern Ireland, especially regarding the lack of a speedy trial.Next to these legal proceedings in front of the Strasbourg Court, there have been several issues of due process violations by the UK government and the humanitarian crisis due to terrorism associated with the conflict with Northern Ireland.
Written by Robert L. Pope, PhD Candidate at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA.
From Paris, with love – Reflections on the 2022 NEXTEUK Summer School 30 August 2022
Recently I took part in the NEXTEUK PhD Summer School on "What research agenda(s) for post-Brexit and post-Covid EU studies? that took place in June 2022 in Paris, at the Jean Monnet House in Bazoches and at ULIP in Paris. Being a British/EU member state dual national, the topic of the summer school was important to be on both a professional and personal level. I was particularly glad to learn that a group of 11 students would be participating in this project. On arrival, I was delighted to meet students with such a variety of backgrounds and with a research agenda that investigates current issues in European affairs. The broad range of disciplines allowed me to understand issues from a variety of different angles, with students presenting their research drawing from different academic disciplines such as International and European law, International Relations, Politics and Security Studies our private conversations, we were able to exchange views about our expertise and this allowed me to learn more about current issues.
Written by Alicja Prochniak, PhD student at the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance at Loughborough University London.
The Conservatives hit the reset button: What does Johnson’s departure mean for UK-EU relations? 15 July 2022
When it rains, it pours. After seemingly defying the implausible for months, if not years, Boris Johnson’s premiership was brought to an end at an astonishing pace. 42 hours after the Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned, kickstarting the resignation of 60 Government members including 5 Cabinet Secretaries, Johnson confirmed he would stand down as Conservative Party leader and ultimately, Prime Minister. It is increasingly looking like the Conservative Party will adopt a speedy, truncated leadership contest with a view to installing a new Prime Minister in early September. For many, the writing was on the wall for a while, and Sajid Javid’s resignation speech, in which he stated that the ‘he reset button can work only so many times’ in relation to Johnson, showcased the mood of the party (and arguably the nation) that a new Prime Minister was needed.
Written by Christian Turner, NEXTEUK Project Manager Summer 2022 and a PhD candidate at the Centre for Britain and Europe, based within the Department of Politics at the University of Surrey
The EU's Migration Management 26 June 2022
Harmonising asylum policies among member states and addressing the dramatic human rights situation of refugees and asylum seekers are central objectives of the new European Asylum Agency set up in 2021 and of the European Commission’s 2020 Pact on Migration and Asylum. The latter details initiatives to strengthen border management and ensure coherence between internal and external migration policies.
Written by Prof. Sarah Wolff, Professor in European Politics and International Relations and Director of the Centre for European Research.
Read the full report here.
Moving on without U(K): the post-Brexit Area of Freedom, Security and Justice 1 June 2022
On 19 November 2021, NEXTEUK project together with the RE-CON Jean Monnet chair from Northumbria University organised a high-level policy roundtable gathering leading academics and think-tanks to discuss the future of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) post-Brexit. This blogpost summarizes and updates the roundtable discussion and is structured around three themes: 1) the emergence of new priorities for the AFSJ as it moves beyond Brexit; 2) the remaining issues and problems faced within this policy field; and 3) the prospects for the AFSJ.
Written by Agathe Piquet, co-manager of the NEXTEUK project, Helena Farrand Carrapico, RE-CON Jean Monnet chair, and Sarah Wolff, Principal Investigator of NEXTEUK.
The Future of the Polish Diaspora After Brexit 18 May 2022
Migration has played a key role on the 2016 Brexit vote. Even though recent research has shown that the importance of the immigration issue has been steadily declining, the question of what will happen to the migrant populations already settled in its territory have become acute. In this blog, Jeremy Woloszyn will focus especially on the Polish diaspora, which has become one of the largest diasporas in Britain and often portrayed in a negative way.
Written by Jeremy Woloszyn, PhD Candidate at Royal Holloway, University of London.
This blog is part of a policy report called "NEXTEUK – EU and UK Relations: Where will we be in 2031?".
The Brave New World of Financial Services 2 May 2022
During the negotiation of the exit process financial services law and regulation has been one of the less prominent issues on the UK and EU Brexit agenda. Deborah Deane argues in this blog that in the next ten years it is likely that the EU and the UK will increasingly diverge both in policy and in regulation, at least in detail, if not in substance, as they find themselves competing with each other to meet the challenges of maintaining a vibrant and sustainable financial system in a changing economic and political world.
Written by Deborah Deane, PhD Candidate at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand.
Brexit and Right-Wing Euroscepticism in the European Parliament 25 April 2022
The UK’s withdrawal from the EU means that one of the major right-wing Eurosceptic voices left the European Parliament. In this blog, Gilsun Jeong discusses the possible changes in the nature of the European Parliament's Eurosceptic right-wing bloc in a post-Brexit era and their impact on European integration in the longer term.
Written by Gilsun Jeong, PhD Candidate at the Department of Politics, University of Sussex.
The Aftermath of Brexit: Implications for the UK Services Trade Policy 19 April 2022
In this blog, Hyunpyo Hong offers to navigate the future direction of the UK trade policy on services after Brexit and to provide insight into the EU-UK (trade) relations in 2031. This is because services were located at the centre of the discussions among negotiators and businesses and because the departure of the UK, a leader of EU internal and external trade in services, had reverberated throughout the political and social aspects of discussions beyond the boundaries of economic debates.
Written by Hyunpyo Hong, PhD Candidate at the School of Politics and International Relations, QMUL.
Brexit and Higher Education: The Trajectory of India’s Relationship with the UK 11 April 2022
India and the UK have had a long and robust relationship in the field of higher education. Nevertheless, in the post-Brexit period, the UK has experienced changes in the visa regime which along with its new education policies has the potential to completely overhaul its relationship with India in the Higher Education Sector. In this blog, Debanjali Ghosh strives to assess the future trajectory of the India-UK relationship in the HES by analysing some of the possible trends.
Written by Debanjali Ghosh, PhD Research Scholar at the Centre for European Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Two Steps Back, One Forward: Institutional Links Between the UK and the EU After Brexit 5 April 2022
In this blog, Nemanja Purić analyses the institutional links between the UK and the EU now that the transition period is over and questions the novelty of UK's institutional status.
Written by Nemanja Purić, Junior Researcher and Teaching Associate at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade.
Culture et social. Unis dans la diversité en Europe ? 4 April 2022
What does "United in diversity", the motto of the European Union, mean for citizens? Which diversity are we talking about? These are some of the questions 34 participants discussed on February 22 at the Maison de l'Europe in partnership with the Mission locale de Paris and the NEXTEUK project.
Written by Alexandra Selee, a MA IR student at Queen Mary Paris with an interest in diplomacy and cybersecurity; and Laura Matteini, a MA IR student at Queen Mary Paris and who has previously achieved her Bachelors’ degree in Anthropology and Sociology at the Goldsmiths University of London.
Deconstructing Crisis: Insights of Europe - Theoretical Considerations for Living in a Permanent Emergency 4 April 2022
The last decade of Europe introduced a series of crises that challenged the stability of the continent and visions of integration outlined by the European Union. As the world continues to recover from the Covid-19 health emergency, Europe finds itself confronting a permanent state of insecurity as it navigates new EU-UK relations and a Ukraine-Russian war. The normalizing feature of emergencies throughout these past decades necessitates theoretical considerations on the nature of crisis to reformulate what it means to live through these moments and its effects on societal systems. This article aims to begin these considerations, by drawing on insights from Europe to discuss the continual and intersectional dimensions that define a crisis.
Written by Eva Lopez, MA student in International Relations at Queen Mary Paris.
This blog is part of a student-led blog series called The State of Permanent Emergency in Britain and Europe.
UK-Mercosur Relations from a South American Perspective 29 March 2022
In June 2019, the European Union and the Southern Common Market reached an Interregional Agreement after more than twenty years of negotiations. However, with the United Kingdom official exit from the EU, the agreement negotiated with Mercosur will not apply to the country. In this blog, Angélica Szucko aims to discuss the opportunities and challenges that Brexit brings to Mercosur, particularly by seeking a similar trade agreement with the UK.
Written by Angélica Szucko, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Brasília, Brazil.
Beyond Economics: How the Northern Ireland Protocol affects the ‘Irish Question’ 22 March 2022
The United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union has inadvertently put the question of Irish (re)unification back on the table, 100 years after the island was partitioned. In this blog Orlaith Rice explores how the Northern Ireland Protocol's impact goes beyond economics and affects the 'Irish question' from a political and symbolic perspective.
Written by Orlaith Rice, PhD Candidate at the Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, Ireland.
EU-UK relations and Global Order in 2022 (2022 NEXTEUK Conference) 2 February 2022
On 13-14 January 2022, NEXTEUK had its second international conference. Attendees had the opportunity to listen to the opening speeches from Sylvie Bermann, President of the Board of Directors of the Institut des Hautes Etudes de Défense Nationale and former French Ambassador to the UK, and from Menna Rawlings, incumbent British Ambassador to France, on UK-EU and Anglo-French relations. This was followed by a roundtable gathering high-level experts on the topic of EU-UK Security Relationship.
Written by Jacob Hickey, post-graduate researcher at Northumbria University and research assistant for NEXTEUK.
Populism, Brexit and Euroscepticism 31 January 2022
New interview of Stijn van Kessel by The Illiberalism Studies Program (Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies) on the the effect of Brexit on European populist movements, the relationship between populism and Euroscepticism, and populism in the Netherlands.
This article was first published on Illiberalism.org, on 26 January 2022.
Lessons from the Eurozone crisis: EMU limitations and national bargaining 2 July 2021
The Eurozone crisis refers to a series of financial difficulties during the 2010s in Europe, following on from the 2007 financial crisis. Starting with the Greek debt crisis (2010), the Irish public debt crisis (2010) soon followed and at the end most of the Eurozone countries were affected. To resolve these problems and avoid the disintegration of the Eurozone, Greece and Ireland, but also Cyprus, Portugal, and then Spain received exceptional assistance from the European Union. These countries first benefitted from the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), a stabilisation fund in the form of a common debt fund created for the occasion. Then, from 2012 onwards, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) was set up as the successor to the EFSF, to recapitalise banks. These assistance mechanisms were key in the resolution of the crisis and are extensively studied by two recent books: The Politics of Bad Options (co-authored by S.Walter, OUP, 2020) and Capitalising on Constraint (co-authored by S.Ladi, C.Moury, MUP, 2021).
Written by Jeanne Boillot, Queen Mary, University of London
The Lessons of Brexit by Michel Barnier: What Illusion Are We Talking About? 28 June 2021
On 6 May 2021, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Frenchman Michel Barnier published his book La Grande Illusion- Journal secret du Brexit (2016-2020) (The Grand Illusion - A Secret Diary of Brexit (2016-2020)). This book is an informal account of the negotiations, told internally and in the form of a daily diary beginning on 24 June 2016, after the Leave vote in the UK, and ending on 24 December 2020, when the EU and the UK negotiators agreed on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
A (dis-) United Kingdom? The 2021 Scottish Elections in the Post-Brexit Process 18 June 2021
On 6th May 2021, a General Election was held in Scotland to elect 129 members of Scottish Parliament for a five-year term. The pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) achieved a parliamentary majority thanks to the support of the Scottish Green Party and managed to remain the main political force in Scotland (40.34% of the votes cast). The campaign and the results relaunched the old debates on Scottish independence as 62% of the Scottish voters wished to remain in the European Union and this General Election was the first one organised in Scotland since the UK definitely left the EU. After the 2014 failed referendum, Brexit appeared as a new motive for Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister and leader of the SNP, to call for a second referendum on Scottish independence as soon as the vote was over.
Brexit and the 2021 UK Integrated Review: what effects on European Strategic autonomy? 2 June 2021
In March 2021, the UK Government published its Integrated Review. This document is an action plan aiming to define the UK's new international position, five years after the Brexit vote and raises many questionings about the post-Brexit EU’s defence. Indeed, at first sight, the withdrawal of the UK implies losing an important military and nuclear power from the European Union. Such unprecedented event could lead to a weakening of EU military capabilities. However, the UK's exit may also be seen as an opportunity for EU's defence, in that the UK has been quite an ambivalent actor in the field of the European Common Security and Defence Policy. Therefore, this blog post explores to what extent Brexit can offer new opportunities for European defence cooperation and can reshuffle the cards of European Strategic autonomy.
The UK-EU Trade Deal: Five Important Implications for the UK Parliament 21 January 2021
The announcement of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on Christmas Eve 2020 may have come as a surprise given endless media reports about the negotiators’ intransigence and the imminent threat of a cliff edge. Add to this the Covid-19 pandemic and some ten months and just nine formal rounds of negotiations make it remarkable that any deal has been reached, let alone one that spans 1246 pages. To put this in context, only a fortnight before the deal was reached, Australia concluded its own 9th formal round of negotiations with the EU; however, this was after over two and half years of negotiations, which will continue for the foreseeable future. And while the resounding parliamentary vote in favour of implementing the TCA (521 votes in favour and 73 against) is good for the political legitimacy of the deal, the swiftness of the vote is less good in terms of democratic process and participation.
Written by Davor Jancic, Queen Mary, University of London
This article was first published on UK Constitutional Law Association blog, on 20 January 2021.
The impact of the US Elections on Europe and the Future EU-UK Relationship 8 January 2021
The 2020 US presidential elections, held on 3 November 2020, culminated in the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States, marking the end of Donald Trump’s presidency. At the NEXTEUK event on ‘The Impact of the US Elections on Europe and the Future EU-UK Relationship,’ Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer (Director of Research, Paris Office-German Marshall Fund), Christian Lequesne (Professor at Sciences Po), and Richard Johnson, (Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London) offered their views on the impact of the incoming Biden presidency for Europe, the transatlantic relationship, a UK-US trade deal, and future European Union (EU)-United Kingdom (UK) relations. These views are particularly relevant in light of the upcoming transfer of power between Donald Trump and Joe Biden on 20 January, and confirmation that the Democratic Party has gained control of the Senate following the run-off election in the US state of Georgia.
Written by Tinahy Andriamasomanana, Queen Mary, University of London
The post-Brexit police cooperation: An act of tightrope walk 11 December 2020
On October 21st, Michel Barnier announced to the European Parliament that “the outline of an agreement” on police cooperation between the EU and the UK after Brexit was gradually appearing following recent progress in the negotiations. Nonetheless, this article explains why there appears to still be a long way to go before a deal can be concluded and why debate on this topic has been so convoluted.
Written by Agathe Piquet, Queen Mary, University of London
Reckless and Hasty— three Brexit moments and three UK PM 4 December 2020
On 2nd of December Michel Barnier, the European Union's (EU) chief Brexit negotiator, has said that next 36 hours are crucial in Brexit talks and warned that key sticking points remained in the areas of level playing field, EU fishing rights and how any trade deal might be implemented. At the end of these talks, we will find out whether the United Kingdom agrees to a trade-off between fisheries and the bloc’s level playing field demands, which will then determine how likely a deal is. Arguably, the UK governments have been hasty about Brexit since 2016, from David Cameron’s, former Prime Minister (2010-2016), call for a referendum on the UK’s EU membership and Theresa May’s, former UK PM (2016-2019), decision to trigger Article 50 to Boris Johnson’s, UK PM (2019-) refusal to ask for an extension to the transition period. However, past nine months of numerous negotiations rounds left everyone oblivious to what is happening behind the closed doors on the future partnership between the EU and the UK and if the outcome-oriented UK government is willing to have a deal with the EU. Today I do not want to write about how the talks of this week will pan out, nor I wish to speculate if a deal is likely by the end of this week or next, but I like to address the following questions: how hasty and reckless Brexit and Brexit negotiations have been? What role the UK Prime Ministers (PM) (2016-2020) played in this? Furthermore, what impact hastiness and unpreparedness, as well as the personality traits of the PMs had on the Brexit process?
Written by Dr Gulay Icoz, independent Researcher/Blogger on http://gulayicoz.ideasoneurope.eu
Could nationalism gain momentum in a post-Angela Merkel Europe? 1 December 2020
Germany’s “Defender of Liberal Democracy” - Angel Merkel steps down as Chancellor in 2021 amid various EU elections receiving the nationalist vote, e.g. Poland and Hungary. In Merkel’s absence, could far-right politics gain momentum and have an influence in Europe?
Written by Samuel Kolawole, MA student of International Relations at Queen Mary University of London.
The Future of Freedom of Movement in Europe: Challenges in the Face of the ‘Twin Storms’ of COVID-19 and Brexit 9 October 2020
Freedom of movement in Europe is facing turbulent times with the ongoing COVID19 pandemic and Brexit. The policy roundtable on ‘Turbulent times for the freedom of movement in Europe? The impact Brexit and Pandemic Politics’ during the first NEXTEUK international conference on Brexit and the future of EU-UK relations gathered scholars and policy experts in the field of migration, asylum, and justice and home affairs on 11 September 2020. Claude Moraes (former Chair of European Parliament LIBE Committee), Violeta Moreno-Lax (QMUL), Susanne Oberhauser (European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK), Nicole Sykes (ProBono Economics), Valsamis Mitsilegas (QMUL), and Sabine Saurugger (Sciences Po Grenoble) offered their views on the challenges facing freedom of movement in Europe in the face of the ‘twin storms’ of COVID-19 and Brexit.
Channel crossings, migration and Franco-British cooperation 4 October 2020
The past few months have been rocky for Franco-British cooperation on migration, with Priti Patel denouncing channel crossings and the dire conditions of migrants living in the streets of Calais and other cities in northern France.
A ‘Clandestine Channel Commander’, Dan O’Mahoney, has even been given the job of making the crossing route unviable for small boats.
Channel crossings are on the rise, with around 5,000 crossings this summer and the interception of 409 migrants in a single day on 2 September. Albeit statistically insignificant compared to other part of the worlds, these numbers call into question the state of the Franco-British cooperation.
Why are more migrants crossing the Channel? To what extent may Brexit and Covid-19 play a role in these crossings? What’s the state of Franco-British cooperation? How will it evolve after Brexit?
Written by Sarah Wolff, Queen Mary, University of London
This article was first published on UK in a Changing Europe, on 1 October 2020.
Keynote speech of Philip Rycroft (former Permanent Secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU): "Where are we at? The EU-UK negotiations so far and future challenges" (NEXTEUK Conference, 10 September 2020) 11 September 2020
Coronavirus and Brexit: A perfect storm for the UK healthcare sector 10 August 2020
The UK healthcare sector finds itself in an unprecedented situation as it tries to deal with the ramifications of the Coronavirus pandemic whilst planning for the UK’s exit from the European Union. However, from a closer analysis of the situation there appears to be some silver linings as this crisis could prompt the healthcare sector to implement some important changes.
Written by Griffin Shiel, Queen Mary, University of London
Brexit politics in times of pandemic: The growing lack of understanding between the EU and the UK 15 June 2020
2020 is a key year for EU-UK talks. By the end of June, the British government has to decide whether it will ask for an extension of the transition period beyond December 31st. This decision partly depends on the outcomes of the four rounds of negotiations on the future of their relations. The uncertainty of this issue has unexpectedly increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating impact in much of Europe. Anand Menon (King’s College London – UK in a changing Europe), Elvire Fabry (Institut Jacques Delors) and Patrick Le Galès (Sciences Po Paris) offered their views on the consequences of the current situation during a NEXTEUK Jean Monnet Lecture on June 4th and this blog article summarises their main ideas.
Written by Agathe Piquet, Queen Mary, University of London.
The affective nature of Brexit’s geographical polarisation 10 June 2020
Four years on from the 2016 United Kingdom European Union referendum polarisation has manifested in socio-political life. What is the nature of this polarisation and how did this drive Britain’s decision to leave the European Union? Addressing the affective nature of Brexit and it’s geographical polarisation can help us understand emotional influences that underpin such division.
Written by Tabitha Baker, Bournemouth University.
EU-China relations in times of pandemics: Beyond the narrative battle, EU’s future normative challenge 5 June 2020
As the world is facing an unprecedented pandemic in contemporary politics, one may wonder what impact COVID-19 will have on European integration and the future of EU-China relations.
Written by Dr Sarah Wolff, Queen Mary, University of London.
This article was first published on EUPlant blog, a Jean Monnet Network on ‘EU-China Legal and Judicial Cooperation’, on 2 June 2020.
Populist party supporters: Informed, uninformed or misinformed? 1 June 2020
Supporters of populist parties are often portrayed as politically naïve or misinformed, but to what extent does this image reflect reality? Drawing on a new study, this article presents evidence that populist party supporters are not less informed than supporters of other parties. However, supporters of right-wing populist parties had a greater tendency to give incorrect answers to political knowledge questions, suggesting there are key differences between the characteristics of left-wing and right-wing populist voters.
Written by Dr Stijn van Kessel, Queen Mary, University of London, Dr Javier Sajuria, Queen Mary, University of London, and Dr Steven M. Van Hauwaert, University of Surrey.
This article was first published in English on LSE blog on 29 May 2020 and in Dutch on the website Stuk Rood Vlees on 30 January 2020.
Why Britain should allow the UK and EU Parliaments to talk after Brexit 20 May 2020
Contrary to the aims of the Political Declaration, the UK government has refused to agree to co-operation between the UK and EU Parliaments. It can be argued this is not just misguided and antagonistic, but breaks with a tradition of inter-parliamentary co-operation that long predates the EU.
Written by Dr Davor Jancic, Queen Mary, University of London.
This article was first published on LSE Blog on 20 May 2020.
Regaining trust: Tackling the corona virus in Greece 15 April 2020
How useful are national referenda to alleviate conflicts of sovereignty in the EU? An enquiry about the Greek 2015 referendum on the bail out.
Written by Dr Stella Ladi, Queen Mary, University of London, and Dr Amandine Crespy, Université Libre de Bruxelles
This article also appears on the Greece@LSE blog on 13 April 2020.
Brexit, British politics and the 2019 general election: Back to normal? 9 March 2020
What consequences will Brexit have for British politics? Given all that happened in the past years since the referendum, it is hard to imagine British politics ever returning to what it was prior to 2016.
Written by Professor Pauline Schnapper, Sorbonne Nouvelle University.