EU legitimacyEU's Rubik's cubeGermany & the EU
  • Can national parliaments make the EU more legitimate?
    Insight by Charles Grant, 10 June 2013
    Can national parliaments make the EU more legitimate?
  • The EU's Rubik's cube: Who will lead after 2014?
    Insight by Hugo Brady, 03 April 2013
    The EU's Rubik's cube: Who will lead after 2014?
  • Germany’s plans for treaty change – and what they mean for Britain
    Insight by Charles Grant, 28 March 2013
    Germany & Treaty change
  • A fair referee? The European Commission and EU competition policy
    Report by Alasdair Murray, 01 October 2004

    The EU's policies for enforcing competition and restricting state subsidies are among its biggest success stories. But the way the European Commission conducts these policies is coming under attack.
  • A guide to the referenda on the EU Constitutional treaty
    Briefing note by Daniel Keohane, 01 October 2004

    On 29 October 2004 EU leaders will formally sign the new EU constitutional treaty at a ceremony in Rome. The 25 EU governments will then have two years to ratify the document. Governments can ratify the constitutional treaty by a parliamentary vote, or they can hold a referendum – in a few member-states a referendum is mandatory.

  • Barroso's Galacticos? The new European Commission
    Briefing note by Alasdair Murray, 06 August 2004

    José Manuel Durão Barroso unveiled his new Commission on 12 August 2004 – confirming his burgeoning reputation as a deft political tactician. Barroso has crafted a carefully balanced team, which emphasises his own independence as incoming Commission president.

  • The recipe for a successful Commission
    Bulletin article by Alasdair Murray, 02 August 2004

    Dear José Manuel Durao Barroso,Congratulations on your appointment as president of the European Commission. You were not everyone's first choice for the post ­ in fact you were initially not even in the running.
  • The EU constitutional treaty: The final deal
    Briefing note by Aurore Wanlin, 25 June 2004

    EU leaders finally reached agreement on the EU's new constitutional treaty at their Brussels summit on 18 June 2004. Although the summit was marked by a series of acrimonious exchanges, particularly between Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair, EU leaders were determined to agree the new treaty, following the embarrassing collapse of their previous summit in December 2003.
  • It's time to do your homework
    Opinion piece by Charles Grant
    The Guardian, 17 June 2004

    For the past seven years Britain has been led by the most pro-European prime minister since Ted Heath, yet the mood of the country has never been more Europhobic.
  • The EU constitutional treaty: The state of play ahead of the summit
    Briefing note by Aurore Wanlin, 03 June 2004

    European leaders gather in Brussels on 17-19 June 2004 for a 'make or break' summit on the EU's new constitutional treaty. The last time they tried, at the EU summit in December 2003, they failed to agree on the details of the document.

  • If Britain votes no ...
    Bulletin article by Charles Grant, 01 June 2004

    Some people claim to know what will happen if a British referendum defeats the European constitutional treaty. Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, points out that the treaty cannot enter into force unless it is ratified by every member-state.