On 11 October and 25 October Lithuania went to the polls for what is only their eighth general election since their independence was restored from the USSR in 1990, becoming the first Soviet republic to declare independence. Background to Lithuanian General Elections: Lithuania is a unitary semi-presidential republic, where a president exists alongside a prime…
The UK government has one month to respond to the first step in the European Commission’s infringement procedures with regard to the UK Internal Market Bill. Such procedures can take an average of up to 36 months, as was seen in cases related to Ireland involving tax rates on rented cars and fuel tax for…
As the Brexit deadline clock continues to count down, an issue that has raised its head again is of Ireland’s continued use of the UK Landbridge post-Brexit. A recent Twitter thread by our Policy and Brexit Research Officer, Ciarán O’Driscoll, highlighted some of the key issues around this important aspect of Brexit, which will be…
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:…