EU-UK Relations

The HMS Britannia is sinking. Scrambling attempts to soften the impact of EU withdrawal have the air of rearranging deckchairs when the iceberg has already hit.

British Euroscepticism is not necessarily xenophobic or isolationist but grounds on a feeling of loss of political, economic and legislative sovereignty and the perception of EU supremacy.

Negotiations around Brexit are ongoing and many topics remain foggy. Three key issues still have to be solved such as ‘the divorce bill’ – the financial settling of accounts on the part of the British Government, the question regarding the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as the rights of EU citizens post-Brexit.

60 Years after the signing of the Rome Treaty, Europe is not a pretty sight. The UK is leaving the EU; populism and Euroscepticism prevail in many Member States; the days of an ‘ever closer union’ seem to be numbered. The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union invited young Europeans to discuss current challenges. 

From October 9 – 13, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union organised a capacity building for the post-Brexit generation under the motto “Why we’re stuck and how we want to get out of this”. 15 young Europeans discussed different aspects of the current challenges the EU is facing and developped concrete strategies for possible solutions. The diversity of the group not only lay in the wide geographical range of the participant’s home countries but also in their professional background: university students, PhD-candidates, researchers, activists and politicians as well as young people working in the fields of public administration, economics and international relations

Populism is a growing movement. Democrats need to investigate on its characteristics to come up with counterstrategies.

Is the EU the cause of the injustices we face? Zygmunt Bauman discusses Brexit and the impact it has on the world.

Great Britain has a rich history. Leaving the EU also affects countries that are part of the Commonwealth. India will redefine its economic and political strategy with both the UK and the EU.