EU treaties & institutions
Can national parliaments make the EU more legitimate?
10 June 2013
The euro crisis has hit the EU's legitimacy. Part of the answer is to give national parliamentarians a bigger role in the EU.
The EU's Rubik's cube: Who will lead after 2014?
03 April 2013
The EU will appoint new leaders after the 2014 European elections. Who are the likely candidates and are they suitable?
Germany’s plans for treaty change – and what they mean for Britain
28 March 2013
Germany is no longer pushing for a new EU treaty. This makes it harder for David Cameron to renegotiate the terms of British membership.
Alice in euroland: What political union for the single currency?
09 October 2012
The eurozone needs to be embedded in a 'political union' if it is to work better. The question is: what sort of political union?
Hollande, the Germans and 'political union'
25 September 2012
François Hollande wants a more equal Franco-German relationship. But tensions over managing the eurozone crisis and reforming EU treaties are straining that relationship.
The EU must fight corruption and defend the rule of law
14 June 2012
Policy-makers in Brussels worry increasingly about corruption, national mal-administration and the rule of law in the EU. New thinking is needed to address such concerns.
Ireland's fiscal treaty referendum: (More) fear and loathing in the eurozone?
11 May 2012
Ireland votes on the EU’s new fiscal compact on May 31st. Hugo Brady assesses the chances of a Yes and the consequences of a No.
The UK-EU split: The impact on Central Europe
13 December 2011
The UK decision to boycott the new EU treaty has left like-minded countries in Central European in weaker position to resist France's etatist tendencies.
Britain on the edge of Europe
09 December 2011
The Brussels agreement on December 9th will weaken British influence in the EU and could damage the single market.
Monnet loses to de Gaulle
28 November 2011
The euro crisis is transforming the balance of power in Europe. Germany is emerging, for the first time in the EU’s history, as the unquestioned leader. France is having to adjust to a subordinate role. The euro countries are likely to integrate more closely, leading to a two-speed Europe. Britain...
Europe's date with destiny
01 August 2011
Many people have quietly given up on the European Union. Not too long ago, Europe struggled long and hard to ratify the Lisbon treaty – now barely mentioned.
The politics of European justice
01 June 2011
The EU's least understood institution is its Court of Justice, which is seated in a stockade-like building in Luxembourg. For over half a century, judges there have quietly adjudicated, mainly between European governments, institutions and businesses.
Europe's parliament: Reform or perish?
04 April 2011
National MPs feel less and less in control of decisions taken in Europe. Yet they are expected to defend these decisions with the same vigour as the national laws they vote for themselves.
European political parties are the key to EU legitimacy
01 February 2011
The European Parliament sometimes exasperates its friends. MEPs have made the wrong calls on some policy questions and they delayed reforming their malfunctioning pay and allowances system until the creation of a harmonised salary scheme in 2009.
Beyond the European Parliament: Rethinking the EU's democratic legitimacy
21 December 2010
The European Parliament plays a crucial role in the EU's legislative process, but is little loved in many parts of the EU. Even if all MEPs became wise, hard-working and responsible, the Parliament would still find it hard to claim a proper democratic mandate.
EU JHA co-operation: After Lisbon, reality bites
24 June 2010
EU policies on policing, justice and immigration were widely expected to take a big leap forward after the ratification of the Lisbon treaty.
Eurozone governance: Why the Commission is right
04 June 2010
The collapse of market confidence sparked by the parlous state of Greece’s public finances is forcing the EU to review how the eurozone is run. This is entirely welcome.
Does the EU need a public prosecutor?
01 February 2010
Viviane Reding, the EU's new justice commissioner, wants to begin her term with a bang by setting up the office of a European public prosecutor (EPP).
The EU must learn from its mistakes over the past decade
23 December 2009
The EU needs new thinking. After eight years of stop-start negotiations, the Union finally has a new rulebook, the Lisbon treaty, which entered into force earlier this month. The member-states are waiting for a new European Commission and a new European Council president to take office early next year.
An open letter to David Cameron
01 December 2009
Dear David,The day after the Czech Republic became the last country to ratify the Lisbon treaty, you abandoned your pledge to hold a referendum on it and you unveiled a new EU strategy that is skilfully balanced.