The United Kingdom Internal Market Bill contains controversial proposals that will override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. What path does it take through the UK legislative system? This Just the Facts explores the next steps in the parliamentary process of the bill. What is the UK Internal Market Bill? The Northern Ireland Protocol,…
Brexit; it never really went away, but developments over the last number of weeks have certainly seen it come back with a bang. Despite having negotiated and then ensured that the Withdrawal Agreement was approved by UK parliament earlier in January of this year, now, eight months later, the UK government seems to have embarked…
Tomorrow, Wednesday, 16 September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her inaugural State of the Union address, a speech delivered annually by the President of the European Commission to the European Parliament plenary. The address is intended as an instrument for accountability and a forum for discussion, and affords the President the…
During a turbulent year that has tested solidarity among EU Member States, the State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the European Parliament will be watched keenly by citizens across Europe and further afield. This Just the Facts examines the importance of this annual event in the EU’s…
With anti-LGBTI+ laws and rhetoric coming to the fore in some EU Member States, it is clear that LGBTI+ rights remain deeply divergent across the EU. In this Just the Facts, we examine the chequered legal landscape for LGBTI+ people across the EU. Introduction: What protections exist under EU law? Article 21 of the EU…
Pharmaceuticals, a high-tech industry reflecting the new modern Ireland, and fisheries, an important traditional industry – while these industries lie at opposite ends of the economic scale, both will be greatly impacted by the outcome of Brexit negotiations. In this Just the Facts we explore how the two industries are now preparing for all outcomes.…
As part of our ongoing Just the Facts publications in relation to the nomination and appointment of officials to the EU institutions, such as one here on the College of Commissioners, in this Just the Facts we look at the appointment of European Commissioners and the steps involved in appointing a new European Commissioner. Introduction:…
COVID-19 has had an unparalleled impact on the way in which we work, a survey by Eurofound – a European Union agency focused on research and information and based in Ireland – found that 43% of Irish people began telecommuting during the COVID-19 pandemic. At EM Ireland, our working environment has changed considerably since the…
While we were unable to meet in person over the last few months, we at European Movement Ireland have held and taken part in a number of webinars on various aspects of the EU. Here in this EMI Blog, we’ll be taking a look at three of those events and exploring some of the common…
EU leaders have had much to contend with in 2020 – coordinating efforts to deal with the economic fallout of a global pandemic and tackling democratic backsliding in EU countries, with a backdrop of a retreating US from the global stage and complicated relations with Russia and other states. Amidst this, it may seem that…