DOCSLIB.ORG

Economics, Politics and Europe the Czech Centre-Right’S Solutions to the Political Challenges of 2020

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Economics, Politics and Europe the Czech Centre-Right’S Solutions to the Political Challenges of 2020 Economics, Politics and Europe The Czech Centre-Right’s Solutions to the Political Challenges of 2020 Ed. Lucie Tungul Printed by ©Jutty, Přerov, November 2019. This is a joint publication of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Konrad-Adenauer- Stiftung, and TOPAZ. This publication receives funding from the European Parliament. The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, TOPAZ and the European Parliament assume no responsibility for facts or opinions expressed in this publication or any subsequent use of the information contained therein. Sole responsibility lies with the authors of the publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known to or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing of the copyright owner except for personal use. Contact: ©TOPAZ Opletalova 1603/57 11000 Praha 1 Czechia For more information please visit: http://www.top-az.eu/home/ The processing of the publication was concluded in September 2019. Reviewed by: Ondřej Filipec, College of Entrepreneurship and Law Margherita Movarelli, WMCES ISBN 978-80-88350-05-7 2 CONTENTS Project partners ................................................................................................................ 5 Contributors ..................................................................................................................... 9 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 13 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 17 Czech Democracy Thirty Years since the Velvet Revolution ........................................... 23 A Geography of Electoral Support for Centre-Right Parties and Possibilities for Their Cooperation ............................................................................. 33 Pension Reform: Options and Challenges .......................................................................... 43 Current Trends in Primary and Secondary Education Policy .......................................... 55 Innovative Activities As a Factor of Competitiveness of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises ....................................................................................... 65 The Future of the EU Cohesion Policy in the New Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) ........................................................................................... 77 Negotiating Post-Brexit EU-UK Relations:Challenges, Choices and Opportunities for Czechia ........................................................................................ 85 Czechia, the European Union and the Prevention of Illegal Migration ............................. 93 U.S. Foreign Policy towards Russia in the Age of Trump .............................................. 103 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 113 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 121 4 Project partners 6 TOPAZ was established in 2012 as an educational platform and think tank associated with the political party TOP 09. Its goal is to open up discussion with the public concerning conservative ideas. Its main activities are focused on social debates with independent experts, cooperation with TOP 09 expert committees, fundraising, presentation of alternative views on the work of public authorities and preparation of analytical and conceptual policy documents suggesting alternative answers. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) is a German political foundation closely associated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). At home as well as abroad, the civic education and dialogue programs aim at promoting freedom and liberty, peace and justice. Primary concerns are strengthening representative democracy, promoting European integration, expanding transatlantic relations and increasing development cooperation. The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies (WMCES) was established in 2007 as the political foundation and official think tank of the European People’s Party (EPP). The Martens Centre has four main goals: advancing centre-right thought, contributing to the formulation of EU and national policies, serving as a framework for national political foundations and academics and stimulating public debate about the EU. It promotes a pan-European mind-set based on centre-right, Christian-Democrat, conservative and like-minded political values. 7 8 Contributors 10 Aaron T. Walter is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Trnava, Slovakia and adjunct professor at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia. His research interests are International Relations, European Studies, specifically security studies, and Israeli Studies. He is a published author and co-author of several books; a member of the Editorial Board for the Slovak Journal of Political Sciences was from 2016-2019 project coordinator at UCM for the Jean Monnet Chair in Migration Studies and currently is involved with ISGAP in the role of their Director of Online Programming and Media Relations. Jakub Charvát works at the Metropolitan University Prague and Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. His research interests include election analyses, politics of electoral reforms, political communication, and analysis of Central European contemporary politics and history. He has published a number of academic articles in these areas; he wrote several monographs including Politika volebních reforem v České republice po roce 1989 [The Politics of Electoral Reform in Czechia after 1989] (2013) and Evropské volby v proměnách času: politika volebních reforem EU [European Elections over Time: Politics of EU Electoral Reforms] (2018); and has co-authored several anthologies. Jan Vavřina teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at the Department of Business Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics at Mendel University in Brno. In the past, he worked as an analyst of EU business and municipality (public and local administration) support schemes at the Brno regional department of the State Agricultural Intervention Fund. He was coordinating and controlling support for business and municipal projects co-funded by the EU pre-accession funds at the Czech Ministry of Agriculture. Lucie Tungul graduated from Miami University, Ohio (International Relations), and Palacky University in Olomouc (Politics and European studies). Her areas of interest are European integration with a special focus on Europeanization, democratization, EU decision making processes, Euroscepticism, migration processes and identity discourses. She is currently the Head of Research at TOPAZ and assistant professor at the Department of Politics and Social Sciences, Law Faculty, Palacky University. Marek Ženíšek is a political scientist, former Deputy Minister of Justice (2007-2012) and First Deputy Minister of Health (2012-2013), and former Member of the Czech Parliament (2013-2017). He is currently the Vice-chair of TOP 09 and executive director of the political institute TOPAZ. Monika Brusenbauch Meislová is assistant professor at the Department of International Relations and European Studies, Masaryk University, Brno. She is also a member of the UACES 2019-2021 “The Limits of Europe: Challenging the Crisis of European Integration” Research Network and a leading researcher of the Czech Science Foundation 2019-2021 project on Czech EU political discourse. Her research work covers issues of British European policy, Brexit, Czech foreign policy and political discourse. Her most recent research has been published in various journals, including The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Parliamentary Affairs, British Politics, European Politics and Society and Europe-Asia Studies. 11 Ondřej Schneider is an external consultant to the World Bank, member of the CESIfo and CASE networks, and an associate professor of economics at Charles University in Prague. He received his MPhil. from Cambridge University and PhD. from CERGE-EI in Prague. He was a senior and later a chief economist for Emerging Europe at the Institute of International Finance in Washington DC in 2009- 2018. He has taught at Charles University, New York University, Georgetown University and East China University in Shanghai. Pavel Maškarinec works at the Faculty of Arts of Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. His areas of research include electoral behaviour, spatial analysis of voting, political representation of women and quality of democracy. He has published many academic articles on these topics in both Czech and international indexed journals. He is the author of the monographs Kvalita demokracie v Mongolsku [The Quality of Democracy in Mongolia] (2019), Volební geografie Libereckého kraje 1992– 2010: Voličské chování z pohledu explorační prostorové analýzy dat (ESDA) [The Electoral Geography of the Liberec Region 1992-2010: Electoral Behaviour in Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis] (2014) and co-authored several anthologies. Gen. Petr Pavel, was the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the
Load more

Recommended publications
  • How Big Is Belgium's Love Still for Europe? - the Low Countries 29/05/2020 21:18
    How Big Is Belgium's Love Still for Europe? - the low countries 29/05/2020 21:18 © Trui Chielens Zero Point 1945 SOCIETY HISTORY How Big Is Belgium's Love Still for Europe? By Ellen Vanderschueren, Jasper Praet, Hendrik Vos translated by Elisabeth Salverda 29/05/2020 ! 11 min reading time After the Second World War, Belgium was one of Europe’s founders. Over the years, Belgian politicians have played a prominent role in European politics. There was always a shared feeling among the population that integration with Europe was useful and in the national interest. In recent times, however, this consensus has been somewhat worn down. n 2009, the first President of the European Council to be appointed was a I Belgian, when Herman Van Rompuy became “President of Europe”. Five years later Donald Tusk, a former prime minister of Poland, took over the helm. And five years after that, in 2019, the role fell to a Belgian once more: Charles Michel fit the jigsaw of nominations and was asked by his colleagues to chair the European Council. Belgians have quite often had a steering role in European politics. Belgium was one of the founders of the European project, and has played a very active role over the years in its process of integration. https://www.the-low-countries.com/article/how-big-is-belgiums-love-still-for-europe Pagina 1 van 15 How Big Is Belgium's Love Still for Europe? - the low countries 29/05/2020 21:18 Herman Van Rompuy and Charles Michel, the first and current President of the European Council Much has changed over the past seventy years: the Community with a focus on coal and steel has grown into a European Union that plays a significant role in almost all economic and political spheres.
    [Show full text]
  • Covid Era: the Middle Class in Focus Lucie Tungul, Ed
    The (Post)Covid Era: The Middle Class in Focus Lucie Tungul, ed. Alexandra Alvarová Elmar Nass Horst Heitz Rumiana Stoilova Zdeněk Tůma Danuše Nerudová Luděk Niedermayer Jakub Charvát Jaroslav Poláček Ladislav Cabada Michael Romancov Tomáš Prouza Jiří Pehe Bedřich Moldan Lubor Lacina Alena Zemplinerová Filip Nerad Michael Žantovský Eva Zamrazilová Tomáš Petráček Martin Kastler Print ©Jutty, Přerov, 2020 This is a joint publication of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Hanns-Seidel- Stiftung and TOPAZ. This publication has received funding from the European Parliament. It was funded by the Federal Foreign Office based on a decision of the German Bundestag/Gefördert vom Auswärtigen Amt aufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages. The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung, TOPAZ and the European Parliament assume no responsibility for the facts or opinions expressed in this publication or any subsequent use of the information contained therein. Sole responsibility lies with the authors of the publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known to or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing of the copyright owner except for personal use. Contact: ©TOPAZ Opletalova 1603/57 11000 Praha 1 Czechia For more information please visit: http://www.top-az.eu/home/ The chapters
    [Show full text]
  • Programme of the Youth, Peace and Security Conference
    1 Wednesday, 23 May European Parliament – open to all participants – 12:00 – 13:00 Registration European Parliament Accreditation Centre (right-hand side of the Simone Veil Agora entrance to the Altiero Spinelli building) 13:00 – 14:00 Buffet lunch reception Members’ Restaurant, Altiero Spinelli building 14:00 – 15:00 Opening Session Room 5G-3, Altiero Spinelli building Keynote Address by Mr. Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament Chair Ms. Heidi Hautala, Vice-President of the European Parliament Speakers Ms. Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support Ms. Ivana Tufegdzic, fYROM, EP Young Political Leaders Mr. Dereje Wordofa, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Ms. Nour Kaabi, Tunisia, NET-MED Youth – UNESCO Mr. Oyewole Simon Oginni, Nigeria, Former AU-EU Youth Fellow 2 15:00 – 16:30 Parallel Thematic Panel Discussions Panel I Youth inclusion for conflict prevention and sustaining peace Library reading room, Altiero Spinelli building Discussants Ms. Soraya Post, Member of the European Parliament Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support Mr. Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary-General, European External Action Service Mr. Amnon Morag, Israel, EP Young Political Leaders Ms. Hela Slim, France, Former AU-EU Youth Fellow Mr. MacDonald K. Munyoro, Zimbabwe, EP Young Political Leaders Facilitator Ms. Gizem Kilinc, United Network of Young Peacebuilders Panel II Young people innovating for peace Library room 128, Altiero Spinelli building Discussants Ms. Barbara Pesce-Monteiro, Director, UN/UNDP Representation Office in Brussels Ms. Anna-Katharina Deininger, OSCE CiO Special Representative and OSG Focal Point on Youth and Security Ms.
    [Show full text]
  • Programme Outline
    OFFICE UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND PROGRAMME LONDON EVENTS 2014 EUROPE’S ECONOMY FROM 2014-2019: RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEW TERM 8th-9th April 2014 Workshop – 8th April 2014 Venue: Convocation Hall, Church House, Dean’s Yard, Westminster SW1P 3NZ 13.30 Registration Tea and Coffee 14.00 Welcome: Hans Blomeier, Director, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, London Office Roland Freudenstein, Deputy Director, Martens Centre 14.15 Monetary and Fiscal Policy The German Constitutional Court’s decision to refer its ruling on the Outright Monetary Transactions programme of the European Central Bank to Luxembourg is the latest example of evolving arguments over the nature of monetary policy in the Eurozone. This highlights the continued split between national and European perspectives, and the contested extent to which the mandate of the ECB is sufficient to meet the challenges the Euro may face. On a wider level, the issue of variable geometry, and different schemes for taxes on a European level, are likely to re-emerge in the course of the next Parliament. Introduction: Professor Hans Geeroms, KU Leuven and College of Europe Gabriel Glöckler, Head of Division, Directorate General Secretariat, European Central Bank Moderator: Professor John Ryan, University of Cambridge 15:45 Coffee Auslandsbüro Großbritannien der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. | Eccleston Square 63D | SW1V 1PH London | www.kas.de/london 16.15 The Road to Competitiveness Large swathes of the Eurozone, and of the EU at large, have become uncompetitive. For the countries involved, the road to competitiveness is not an easy one as many of the necessary measures will run into strong opposition from vested interests and even from the citizens themselves.
    [Show full text]
  • European Parliament, Daily Notebook: Motion of Censure on the Commission (11 January 1999)
    European Parliament, Daily Notebook: motion of censure on the Commission (11 January 1999) Caption: The Daily Notebook details the reactions of some MEPs during a debate concerning the motion of censure on the activities of the Commission in January 1999. Source: EUROPARL - Press Service. Session News - The Daily Notebook. [ON-LINE]. [s.l.]: European Parliament, [03.08.2000]. Disponible sur http://www.europarl.eu.int/dg3/sdp/journ/en/1999/n9901112.htm#2. Copyright: (c) European Parliament URL: http://www.cvce.eu/obj/european_parliament_daily_notebook_motion_of_censure_on_the_commission_11_january_19 99-en-da75f293-0cc5-473e-a221-6978c1852b19.html Last updated: 28/04/2014 1 / 7 28/04/2014 European Parliament: Daily Notebook (11 January 1999) Commission faces censure (B4-1165/98, B4-0012/99, B4-0011/99, B4-0002/99, B4-0013/99, B4-0014/99, B4-0016/99, B4-0015) Monday 11 January — In tabling her motion of censure on the Commission, Pauline Green (London North, PES) declared that the decision to refuse discharge of the 1996 budget was a clear declaration that the Commission was financially incompetent. Those who voted to refuse discharge should take the only possible institutional step in their power and vote to sack the Commission. Mrs Green stated that she had tabled the censure motion so that those who felt the Commission to be culpable over the 1996 budget should face up to their responsibility and the logical consequences of their vote. She argued that the coming three months were critical for the EU and that the Commission needed to enjoy a partnership of trust and confidence with Parliament and Council.
    [Show full text]
  • The Development of the Health and Social Care Sector in the Regions of the Czech Republic in Comparison with Other EU Countries
    social sciences $€ £ ¥ Article The Development of the Health and Social Care Sector in the Regions of the Czech Republic in Comparison with other EU Countries Erika Urbánková Department of Economic Theories, Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague 16500, Czech Republic; [email protected] Received: 6 April 2019; Accepted: 29 May 2019; Published: 3 June 2019 Abstract: In this paper, the quantitative status of employees in the Health and Social Care sector in the Czech Republic is assessed, and the future development of the sector is predicted both for the Czech Republic as a whole, and for individual regions according to the NUTS3 classification. At present, labor market prognoses are created using the ROA-CERGE model, which includes the main professions in the Health and Social Care sector. This article expands the predictions by adding the regional level and using extrapolation of time series, and it identifies the regions important for the given sector and the labor force. The position of the Czech Republic with regard to selected professions in comparison with other countries of the European Union, i.e., its qualitative status, is also assessed in the paper. The following professions are assessed: general nurses and midwives (both with and without a specialization), physicians, and professional assistants. Healthcare workers do not manifest geographical mobility between regions and work primarily in the region where they live. Since the Czech Republic’s accession to the EU, staff working in key professions have been able to work under comparable conditions in any of the member states. The workforce flow depends, among other things, on its qualitative representation in the given country.
    [Show full text]
  • Handling Environment in Czechia: Sustainable Development As Our Common Future
    Handling Environment in Czechia: Sustainable Development as Our Common Future Lucie Tungul and Roman Haken with a foreword by Bedřich Moldan Printed by ©Jutty, Přerov, 2018. This is a joint publication of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and TOPAZ. This publication receives funding from the European Parliament. The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, TOPAZ and the European Parliament assume no responsibility for facts or opinions expressed in this publication or any subsequent use of the information contained therein. Sole responsibility lies with the authors of the publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known to or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing of the copyright owner except for personal use. Contact: ©TOPAZ Újezd 450/40 118 00 Praha 1-Malá Strana Czechia For more information please visit: http://www.top-az.eu/home/ The processing of the publication was completed in October 2018. Reviewers: Dimitar Lilkov and Christina Bache, WMCES ISBN 978-80-907348-5-2 Project partners TOPAZ was established in 2012 as an educational platform and think tank associated with the political party TOP 09. Its goal is to open up discussion with the public concerning conservative ideas. Its main activities are focused on social debates with independent experts, cooperation with TOP 09 expert committees, fund-raising, presentation of alternative views on the work of public authorities and preparation of analytical and conceptual policy documents suggesting alternative answers.
    [Show full text]
  • 2020-Activity-Report.Pdf
    — 2020 — WILFRIED MARTENS CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES ACTIVITY REPORT © February 2021 - Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies 2020’s label will unfortunately be, above all, the year of Table of Contents the COVID-19 pandemic. It has marked the fates of many people, the way of life we used to enjoy, the way in which we communicated and worked, and in fact the entire world. On one hand, it has caused unprecedent fear for Welcome 04 human lives, but on the other hand it stimulated signifi- cant ones, such as the great effort to effectively coordi- nate the fight against the virus and the decision to create the Recovery Fund – Next Generation EU. However, we Publications 07 ended the year with the faith that the vaccines humanity European View 08 developed will save human lives and gradually get the Publications in 2020 10 situation under control, also eliminating the pandemic’s devastating impact on the economy. Another sad moment of 2020 for the EU was, of course, the UK’s official exit. It was a very painful process, but Events 13 largely chaotic on the British side. Even though we Events in 2020 14 parted “in an orderly fashion”, the consequences will be Economic Ideas Forum Brussels 2020 16 felt on both sides for years to come. 10th Transatlantic Think Tank Conference 20 Another unquestionably significant event of 2020 was the US presidential election. The pandemic, along with the events surrounding the US election, such as the Common Projects 23 attack on the Capitol, proved how fragile democracy NET@WORK 24 is, as are we.
    [Show full text]
  • Doers Dreamers Ors Disrupt &
    POLITICO.EU DECEMBER 2018 Doers Dreamers THE PEOPLE WHO WILL SHAPE & Disrupt EUROPE IN THE ors COMING YEAR In the waves of change, we find our true drive Q8 is an evolving future proof company in this rapidly changing age. Q8 is growing to become a broad mobility player, by building on its current business to provide sustainable ‘fuel’ and services for all costumers. SOMEONE'S GOT TO TAKE THE LEAD Develop emission-free eTrucks for the future of freight transport. Who else but MAN. Anzeige_230x277_eTrucks_EN_181030.indd 1 31.10.18 10:29 11 CONTENTS No. 1: Matteo Salvini 8 + Where are Christian Lindner didn’t they now? live up to the hype — or did he? 17 The doers 42 In Germany, Has the left finally found its a new divide answer to right-wing nationalism? 49 The dreamers Artwork 74 85 Cover illustration by Simón Prades for POLITICO All illustrated An Italian The portraits African refugees face growing by Paul Ryding for unwelcome resentment in the country’s south disruptors POLITICO 4 POLITICO 28 SPONSORED CONTENT PRESENTED BY WILFRIED MARTENS CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES THE EAST-WEST EU MARRIAGE: IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO TALK 2019 EUROPEAN ELECTIONS ARE A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM LESSONS OF THE PAST AND BRING NATIONS CLOSER TOGETHER BY MIKULÁŠ DZURINDA, PRESIDENT, WILFRIED MARTENS CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN STUDIES The East-West relationship is like the cliché between an Eastern bride and a Western man. She is beautiful but poor and with a slightly troubled past. He is rich and comfortable. The West which feels underappreciated and the East, which has the impression of not being heard.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Foundations Dorota Dakowska
    Political foundations Dorota Dakowska To cite this version: Dorota Dakowska. Political foundations. Hélène Michel, Élisabeth Lambert Abdelgawad. Dictionary of European actors„ Larcier, 2015. hal-01184289 HAL Id: hal-01184289 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01184289 Submitted on 14 Aug 2015 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Dorota Dakowska POLITICAL FOUNDATIONS in: Hélène Michel, Élisabeth Lambert Abdelgawad (Eds.), Dictionary of European actors, Brussels, Larcier, 2015, p. 287-290. While political foundations are little known actors of the European public space, they deserve consideration on several accounts. First, studying them allows us to analyze how European institutions recognize actors that are not among their usual contacts. Then, reflecting on the close ties between these foundations and political parties at the European level enriches knowledge of transnational transfers and networks. The term “political foundation” comes from the Federal Republic of Germany, where these organizations, funded almost exclusively by public money, have held a highly institutionalized role for over half a century (Dakowska, 2014). The foundations, which have close ties to the political parties represented in the Bundestag, offer “political education” programs to citizens. Operating in around a hundred countries, they take part in the implementation of foreign policy and development aid.
    [Show full text]
  • Martensns Centre Research Papers Layout Template
    The Empire Strikes Back Brexit, History and the Decline of Global Britain Eoin Drea The Empire Strikes Back Brexit, History and the Decline of Global Britain Eoin Drea Credits Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies Rue du Commerce 20 Brussels, BE - 1000 The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies is the political foundation and think tank of the European People’s Party (EPP), dedicated to the promotion of Christian Democrat, conservative and like-minded political values. For more information please visit: www.martenscentre.eu Editor: Eoin Drea, Senior Research Officer, Martens Centre External editing: Communicative English bvba Layout and cover design: RARO S.L. Typesetting: Victoria Agency Printed in Belgium by Drukkerij Jo Vandenbulcke This publication has received funding from the European Parliament. © 2019 Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies The European Parliament and the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies assume no responsibility for facts or opinions expressed in this publication or their subsequent use. Sole responsibility lies with the author of this publication. Table of Contents About the Martens Centre 04 About the author 06 Executive summary 08 Introduction 12 The triumph of the past 16 The centrality of history 19 Brexit and the lost lessons of the Suez crisis 26 Imperial Brexit and the failure of Britain’s Europe 30 The failure to build a British Europe 32 Economic crisis 34 The decline of global Britain 35 Historical narratives and declinism in the 2016 referendum 36 Britain as the ‘King Lear of the diplomatic world’ 38 ‘You cannot free yourself from imaginary oppression’ 40 Bibliography 42 Keywords Brexit – European Union – British Empire – History – Global Britain – European integration About the Martens Centre The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, established in 2007, is the political foundation and think tank of the European People’s Party (EPP).
    [Show full text]
  • Brexit, Northern Ireland and the Irish Border
    Brexit, Northern Ireland and the Irish Border Although concerns around immigration and the prospect of future 31 January 2018 trade-agreements dominated the Brexit campaign, it is the future 12:30– 14:30 status of the Irish Border that has proven to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks in negotiations to date.Matters have been further complicated by the ongoing political impasse in Northern Ireland’s Martens Centre devolved parliament of Stormont and by the decision of Theresa Rue de Commerce 20 May’s government to enter into a parliamentary arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). 1st floor 1000 Brussels The decision to move to Phase 2 of Brexit negotiations in December 2017 throws up further questions which impact significantly on the Republic of Ireland’s relationship with both Northern Ireland and Britain. How can a “hard border” on the island of Ireland be avoided if Britain leaves the single market? Will Brexit impact the peace process underpinned by the Good Friday agreement of 1998? How have the DUP accrued so much power in these negotiations? Join our panel of experts to discuss these important questions. PROGRAMME 12:30 Registration and light lunch 13:00 Welcome remarks: Tomi Huhtanen, Executive Director, Martens Centre Panel Discussion 13:05 Dara Murphy, EPP Vice-President and Campaign Director, Former Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and the Digital Single Market Tony Connelly, RTE (Irish State Broadcaster) European Correspondent Nina Schick, Political Advisor (TBC) Moderated by: Roland Freudenstein, Policy Director, Martens Centre 14:00 Q&A Dara Murphy is an Irish MP and a member of Ireland's(renamed government the Party, Wilfried Fine Gael.
    [Show full text]