Category Archives: Uncategorised

WA/TCA Tracker: September 2022

Posted on 30th September 2022 by admin

After a summer hiatus for the Conservative leadership campaign, there was much expectation of Liz Truss following through on her stated plans for the Northern Ireland Protocol. Recall that she had been the lead minister for the Northern Ireland Protocol … Continue reading →

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Does ‘make Brexit work’ work?

Posted on 7th July 2022 by admin

This post originally appeared on the UK in a Changing Europe website. As a strapline for Labour’s EU policy, ‘make Brexit work’ has a lot going for it. An echo of ‘get Brexit done’ – which served Boris Johnson and … Continue reading →

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Why the doctrine of necessity can’t apply for the Northern Ireland Protocol

Posted on 29th June 2022 by admin

This week’s second reading of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill moves the UK one step closer to a significant aggravation of the relationship with the EU. With no Tories voting against the Bill – partly because it was presented as … Continue reading →

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Making the Northern Ireland Protocol work

Posted on 23rd June 2022 by admin

The title of this post feels insanely optimistic, given the events of the past weeks, but if we don’t try then we certainly won’t succeed. Last month I submitted some evidence to the Follow-up inquiry on the impact of the … Continue reading →

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Challenging implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol

Posted on 9th June 2022 by admin

Since we’re back in a hotter phase of the NIP rhetoric cycle, it’s useful to revisit various points. None of it’s new and I’ve shared all the content below with you before, but apparently that’s not got through to everyone. … Continue reading →

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WA/TCA meeting tracker: April 2022

Posted on 28th April 2022 by admin

A short post this week, to update the trackers for meetings of the assorted committees of the EU-UK’s Withdrawal Agreement and Trade & Cooperation Agreement. As you can see, things have been quiet so far this year. WA activity has … Continue reading →

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Ukrainian accession to the EU: run now, walk later?

Posted on 21st April 2022 by admin

The question of whether and how Ukraine joins the EU ranks relatively low on the list of priority topics right now, for reasons that are both too obvious and too horrific to discuss right now. However, it is still a … Continue reading →

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A problem for 2024? Consent in the Northern Ireland Protocol

Posted on 14th April 2022 by admin

Given the amount of political anguish caused already by the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) since its conception during the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) talks, it might seem odd to write today about one provision that can’t be used until late 2024 … Continue reading →

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The old rules don’t apply any more

Posted on 30th March 2022 by admin

The non-invitation of Boris Johnson at last week’s European Council on Ukraine came after a period of improved EU-UK relations, driven strongly by the Russian invasion. However, that close cooperation – highlighted by Liz Truss’ appearance at a Foreign Affairs … Continue reading →

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The EU needs more than an external unifier

Posted on 10th March 2022 by admin

This post originally appeared on Encompass. When trying to explain why European integration took off after the end of the Second World War, academics typically point towards some combination of factors. As well as the peace project in the wake … Continue reading →

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