On Sunday, 25 November, EU27 leaders met in Brussels for a special meeting of the European Council to endorse the draft withdrawal agreement reached between EU and UK negotiators on 14 November. EU27 leaders also approved the political declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the EU and the UK. Background On…
On 14 November 2018, it was announced that EU and UK negotiators had reached decisive progress on the text of the draft withdrawal agreement, which was resultantly published by both sides. The draft withdrawal agreement outlines the terms by which the UK will leave the EU. What is it? The withdrawal agreement sets out the…
The College of Europe is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies with campuses in Bruges and Natolin. Online applications for the 2019-2020 academic year are now being invited. If you wish to apply, submit your complete application before the deadline of Wednesday, 16 January 2019. History The College of Europe was the world’s…
What is the Common Travel Area? The Common Travel Area (CTA) is an open borders area comprising the UK (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) and Ireland. Within the CTA, Irish and British citizens can travel freely with minimal controls at borders. The CTA tends to be associated as well with the ‘special…
On Thursday, 18 October, the European Council met in Brussels to discuss migration, internal security and external relations. Following the morning session, EU27 leaders held a Euro Summit to discuss the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union. EU leaders had previously met in EU27 format on Wednesday, 17 October over a working dinner to…
Luxembourg General Election Luxembourg went to the polls on Sunday, 14 October to elect a new Parliament, known as the ‘Chambre des députés’, or Chamber of Deputies. While the centre-right Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) won the most seats as a single party with 21 seats, the current centre-left coalition government made up of the…
Latvian General Election The Latvian electorate went to the polls on Saturday, 6 October to elect a new Parliament, known as the ‘Saeima’. Seven political parties secured enough votes to take seats in Parliament, with the Social Democratic Party, ‘Harmony’, topping the polls with 19.8 per cent of the vote. Coalition negotiations are expected to…
The European Council met in Salzburg, Austria for an informal meeting under the Leaders’ Agenda on 19-20 September to discuss migration, internal security, and Brexit. The informal summit was hosted by Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, as Austria currently holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). On Wednesday, 19 September, Chancellor…
State of the European Union Address President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, delivered his fourth and final annual ‘State of the European Union’ address at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 12 September 2018. The forward-looking speech, entitled ‘The Hour of European Sovereignty’, set out the priorities of the European Commission for the last…
Swedish General Election The Swedish electorate went to the polls on Sunday, 9 September to elect a new Parliament. Sweden traditionally has a high voter turnout, and this year was no different at 84.4 per cent. Preliminary results show that the electorate has returned a hung Parliament, with no outright winner. Official results will be…