David Phinnemore
@dphinnemore.bsky.social
Professor of European Politics, Queen's University Belfast. EU politics, treaty reform, enlargement, Brexit/Protocol/Windsor Framework
On the Windsor Framework... and for the next EU-UK Joint Committee... clarification that the end of EU customs duty relief for low value items does not entail handling charges for consumer parcels moving from GB into Northern Ireland. eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-conten...
"Officials on both sides have, however, said they expect the [EU-UK Summit] to be held in October or November to dodge the summer break, the U.N. General Assembly, and the Labour Party conference." www.politico.eu/article/eu-p...
EU proposes Brexit reset tuition fees compromise
Negotiations between London and Brussels are continuing ahead of a summit, which has yet to be rescheduled after Britain’s change of government.
politico.eu
Iceland votes on 29 August on whether to revive EU membership bid; early voting starts today. Views finely balanced... www.politico.eu/article/icel...
Iceland opposition chief to Europe: Don’t meddle in our referendum
Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir casts the Aug. 29 vote on reopening accession talks as a question of Iceland’s hard-won sovereignty.
politico.eu
The examples of Gibraltar and Northern Ireland indeed show the centrality of regulatory alignment for a softer Brexit but equally they are exceptional arrangements to address very particular circumstances and so for the EU set no precedents, especially for UK as a whole. www.ft.com/content/4f88...
Gibraltar should show Burnham a softer Brexit is the only option
The recent deal again illustrates that closer alignment with the EU offers the best of both worlds
ft.com
“Badenoch has effectively committed the Conservatives to a policy of conflict, and possibly even rupture, with the EU…. That’s because the UK’s continued membership of the ECHR underpins every element of its post-Brexit relationship with the EU” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Nobody in Europe knows or cares what Kemi Badenoch thinks. That’s a big mistake | Simon Nixon
The opposition leader wants to pull the UK out of the ECHR, wrecking treaties from the Good Friday agreement to the Gibraltar deal, says economics commentator Simon Nixon
theguardian.com
House of Lords NI Scrutiny Committee is conducting an inquiry into Article 2 Windsor Framework. Oral evidence is still being taken. Written evidence has now been published. Includes, following UKSC 'Dillon' judgment, statement of UK government position. committees.parliament.uk/committee/76...
Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee - Written evidence - Committees - UK Parliament
Written evidence submission publications for Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee.
committees.parliament.uk
Continuity/change in overseeing implementation of Protocol/Windsor Framework EU-UK Joint Committee Co-Chairs: EU: 1 Šefčovič (2020-) UK: 7 Gove (2020-21) Frost (2021) Truss (2021-22) Cleverly (2022-23) Cameron (2023-24) Thomas-Symonds (2024-26) ???? (2026-) www.politico.eu/article/eu-r...
Britain’s Brexit Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds axed in reshuffle
The close ally of Keir Starmer was delivering the prime minister’s reset with the European Union.
politico.eu
Welcome news, with a reminder that there can be some considerable time between concluding negotiations with the EU (December 2023) and the EU being ready to sign the agreement (planned for September 2026)… and we still have ratification to come www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...
Council greenlights EU deal with Andorra and San Marino
Council greenlights signature and provisional application of EU agreement with Andorra and San Marino.
consilium.europa.eu
"Gibraltarian officials will carry out their own passport checks. But the UK and Gibraltar accepted having Spanish border police at the airport as the price for removing all passport controls on the adjacent Gibraltar-Spain land border, a key win for [Gibraltar's] economy" www.ft.com/content/47f8...
Spain begins Gibraltar airport checks as Brexit reaches the Rock
Troubled EU entry system will be turned on from Wednesday, with UK territory in effect becoming part of Schengen zone
ft.com
Polling does, yes, show that more voters in Northern Ireland (36%) than in GB (29%) support UK withdrawal from the ECHR Importantly same poll also found that more NI voters - indeed majority (58%) - oppose leaving the ECHR Figure for GB = 46% More… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Celtic nations begin to plan for breakup of UK in event of Reform election win
Politicians brace for constitutional turmoil if Nigel Farage’s party end up in government – or even as a strong opposition
theguardian.com
A 'decision-making' role was always going to be turned down - the autonomy of its decision-making processes is an EU red line - but 'decision-shaping' has always been envisaged. The question is what form(s) will that entail... and that/they will depend on... www.ft.com/content/c5b0...
Brussels rebuffs UK request for ‘decision-making’ role in EU
Deal to reset post-Brexit relations with bloc has been further delayed
ft.com
Indeed EEA is no easy option Also, EEA membership requires agreement of the participating EFTA states - and Norway has never been keen on UK joining To apply to join, it is expected that you have joined EFTA And in the EEA, EFTA states have to speak with one voice ukandeu.ac.uk/no-eea-sy-op...
No EEA-sy options - UK in a changing Europe
Joël Reland argues that the Lib Dems' call for the UK to join the EU single market may not survive contact with political reality.
ukandeu.ac.uk
"If Brexit was a genie most people in the UK regret releasing, those with their hands on the next bottle marked ‘Taking back control’ need to think very carefully about Northern Ireland before they twist the cap" - @katyhayward.bsky.social & me for @ukandeu.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/dangerously-...
Dangerously toxic: why ‘Europe’ weighs less in British public opinion than in Northern Ireland - UK in a changing Europe
Katy Hayward and David Phinnemore consider why voters in Northern Ireland have stronger convictions and opinions on Brexit – in both directions, and the political implications of this.
ukandeu.ac.uk
‘Own merits’ playing out www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
EU set to reallocate Western Balkans funding for 'frontrunners'
The EU will redirect Western Balkans reform funding towards frontrunners Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia, as other countries are struggling to keep up with reform deadlines. #EuropeNews
euronews.com
“firms can technically reclaim some EU duties… [but] this does not remove the underlying pressure on businesses… companies must pay tariffs upfront, absorb the cash-flow hit, and meet complex evidentiary requirements before any money is repaid” www.politico.eu/article/nort...
Northern Ireland caught in ‘messy middle’ of UK and EU steel tariffs
Firms lose “tens of millions” in business as they face two sets of charges.
politico.eu
‘putting a price tag on accession goes a long way in substantiating the argument, seeing it in plain economic terms… [For] Montenegro… the European Commission estimates the cost will be €3.2 billion – "less than one euro per EU citizen per year".’ www.euractiv.com/news/the-bri...
The Brief – What's Montenegro worth to EU? | Euractiv
The Commission has advocated a stronger Union through enlargement, and has put a very modest pricetag on Montenegro's accession
euractiv.com
Five lessons from @davidheniguk.bsky.social as UK seeks closer relationship with the EU… all to be noted. A sixth: trust matters. encompass-europe.com/comment/five...
Five lessons of Brexit
Ten years on, and what did you learn, as my twice-refugee Grandfather used to ask late in his life and early in mine. Well, there’s been little space for reflection, between the endless…
encompass-europe.com
‘Asked about recent proposals to limit a new member country’s ability to use veto powers on sensitive issues such as taxation and foreign policy, Gunnarsdóttir said the idea was “not so exciting” and warned that the EU should “be careful of going this path.”’ www.euractiv.com/news/be-care...
'Be careful': Iceland warns EU over new membership terms | Euractiv
Iceland is confident about getting a good deal but concerned over new probation rules for new EU members
euractiv.com
Apparently Brexit campaigners prior to the referendum did start work on how to address the Irish border question Baker: "What we quickly realized, though, is that you can’t solve this problem without really deep expertise in customs and borders... and I'm afraid... www.politico.eu/article/the-...
The UK’s failed 10-year bid to fix the Brexit border
Five prime ministers — and maybe soon a sixth — have wrestled with Brexit. None has found a lasting solution for the U.K.’s border with its nearest EU neighbor.
politico.eu
“benefits under discussion include access to some EU funding programs, preferential trade arrangements, and partial access to the single market before accession, with the exact package to be tailored to each candidate country’s progress” www.politico.eu/article/insi...
Inside the EU’s latest plan to keep would-be members close
The scheme would offer candidate countries EU perks before membership — without the political rights that doomed earlier proposals.
politico.eu
"Ireland is... seen as a proper “honest broker”... one of the few member states whose government has never blocked any enlargement steps and doesn't have any bilateral issues with any of the candidate countries... significant progress is therefore expected" www.rferl.org/a/wider-euro...
Wider Europe Briefing: Ireland's EU Presidency Puts Enlargement Back In Focus
In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on one issue: EU enlargement as Ireland takes over the EU presidency.
rferl.org
“Put bluntly, the status quo will not hold. Ten years on, Brexit, and its impacts on the economy, remain very much with us, and the policy debates may be about to return.” And with them, the same hard choices and trade offs if UK wants closer trade relations with EU. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Important therefore that if/when the deal is agreed that it is not oversold. www.politico.eu/article/star...
Starmer’s Brexit deal won’t solve Northern Ireland’s trade frictions
Political turmoil in Westminster has raised questions over when an agreement to smooth the flow of agri-food goods will be struck. But even if it is delivered, the deal is no cure-all.
politico.eu
Still walking people through it today
R. Daniel Kelemen@rdanielkelemen.bsky.social · last mo.Remember this? The Brexit Trilemma
"Starmer’s decision... has caused political problems... "But the London negotiating team believed that a deal — potentially involving a big cut in fees for EU students at British universities — was taking shape and could have been nodded through by the next [PM]" www.ft.com/content/f0b3...
UK ‘irritated’ by EU move to delay key summit after Starmer’s resignation
July meeting about closer relations postponed as Brussels prepares for prospect of Burnham becoming PM
ft.com
‘The “Brexit effect” on the rhetoric of British politics is one of the most damaging legacies of the referendum. It has seemingly resulted in a rhetorical culture in which ethos and pathos are of far more value, and so far more prevalent, than logos.’ theconversation.com/ten-years-on...
Ten years on from the Brexit vote, the UK is still a country of Leavers and Remainers
The ‘Brexit effect’ on political language is one of the most damaging effects of the referendum.
theconversation.com
‘Opinion polls show rejoin sentiment sitting between 55 and 65 per cent, or “within the margin of a campaign”, according to polling guru Sir John Curtice; this has led some analysts to conclude it is still too early, from the EU point of view, to discuss rejoining.’ www.ft.com/content/ac01...
How Brexit ghosts will stop the UK from quickly rejoining the EU
As Labour toys with the idea, Brussels warns it needs clear commitment and will not accept cherry-picking
ft.com
“We think it’s… a test of credibility of the whole enlargement policy… if Montenegro delivers, we expect that this is acknowledged ... We would expect the member states [to] welcome Montenegro into this family of European nations” - Montenegro’s chief negotiator www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...
A clear front-runner has emerged in the race to join the EU - can it cross the finish line?
Balkan country’s push to become next member state a test of whether enlargement path is ‘credible’, says chief negotiator
irishtimes.com
Out today! A new report of the Society from Catharine Barnard and Joel Reland charing the development of UK regulation post-Brexit. You can read it on our website at: consoc.org.uk/publications...
Brexit and Regulation - The Constitution Society
Professor Catharine Barnard and Joël Reland survey changes in regulation in the ten years since the EU referendum.
consoc.org.uk
