December 14, 2016
The meeting of the 27 EU leaders over dinner on 15 December is their first chance to have a real political debate about Brexit since the summer. In the absence of any clear signal from London about where the UK wants to go when it leaves the EU, the summit debate will inevitably be more… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
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, Brexit, Court of Justice, European Council, Future of Europe |
October 18, 2016
In London everyone is agitated about how to trigger Article 50. Proceedings continue in the English High Court on whether the government needs the consent of parliament before it triggers Article 50. It should surprise nobody that the EU dimension is largely absent from the London courtroom. Nobody mentions that Theresa May, in her capacity… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
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, Brexit, Court of Justice, EU referendum, European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, House of Commons |
July 4, 2016
Most people will have never read a single article of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) before they stumbled recently across Article 50. Alas, those ‘most people’ seems to include many British lawyers and politicians whose acquaintance with the constitution of the European Union has been hitherto remote. So here is my guide to Article… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
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, Brexit, Court of Justice, EU referendum, EU treaty, European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, House of Commons |
April 29, 2016
As the British referendum looms, a false sense of expectation is spreading in Brussels. Some wishful thinking is excusable: Britain’s partners have grown tired of having to tolerate David Cameron’s general contempt for the European Union and of circumnavigating his efforts to salvage the synthetic unity of his Conservative party. The opinion polls show a… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
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Enlargement, EU Institutions, UK in Europe , Brexit, Cameron, Court of Justice, ECHR, EU referendum, European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, Future of Europe |
April 19, 2016
Because he is Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Minister of Justice we should take the statement of Michael Gove more seriously than we might pay heed, for example, to the obiter dicta of the Mayor of London. In his speech on Tuesday (19 April), Mr Gove asserted… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
February 18, 2016
European Council meetings are deliciously unpredictable – especially, like today’s, when constitutional matters are raised. There are new faces around the table (including the new Latvian prime minister, Maris Kucinskis, who only took office last week) who are largely unknown and, as far as one can tell, largely unknowing about the EU’s constitutional problems. Several… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
December 10, 2015
Dear Prime Minister, I understand from press reports that you are increasingly frustrated by the obstacles that appear to obstruct your renegotiation of the terms of UK membership of the European Union. Maybe I can help. First I will deal with the substance of your demands for treaty change, and then on the form. ‘Ever… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
December 10, 2014
While a lot of people, many of them prime ministers, grumble about the need to ‘reform’ the European Union, no European leader has yet been moved to elaborate on why, what and how to reform. Even David Cameron gropes to give substance to his grumbling: most of what he needs to stem the migrant tide… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
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, #TeamJunckerEU, Brexit, European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, Future of Europe |
November 26, 2014
The Prime Minister is to make another much anticipated Big Speech about Europe. This time, the theme is immigration – or, rather, how to stem the alleged tide of EU citizens exercising their lawful right in accordance with Article 21 TFEU to move to and reside freely within the United Kingdom. David Cameron has already… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
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, Brexit, Cameron, Clegg, European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, Future of Europe, Immigration |
October 28, 2014
There are some who are tempted to let David Cameron enjoy the consequences of his latest tantrum at the European Council. But for the sake of the long-term relationship of Britain and Europe it is probably worth rescuing him. Here are the elements of the deal. The European Commission apologises for the clumsy way in… » read more
Posted by Andrew Duff
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, Brexit, EU budget, European Council, House of Commons, Juncker, Tantrum |
President of the Spinelli Group. Visiting Fellow, European Policy Centre. Liberal Democrat MEP 1999-2014.
