“My right flank is destroyed, my left flank is in retreat, everything is fine – attack!” Those were the words of General Foch in the darkest moments of World War One. We are there once again. Sink or act – …
CETA emerging from the shadow of TTIP Some findings from the EESC’s mission to Canada
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has broad support among Canadian civil society organisations. Canadians are looking forward to the expected benefits from the deal and are aware of potential challenges. They have therefore already taken steps to prepare certain sectors of …
Brexit and the Common Agricultural Policy
A two-page summary of our in-depth analysis Article 50 and its triggering. The notorious Article 50 (TEU) of the Lisbon Treaty seems clear in its wording. It envisages 3 general steps leading to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU: (1) …
Endocrine disruptors: the Everest of bad EU governance
Given the sensitivity of the issue, I have to be careful and begin by stating that I have no interest, direct or indirect, with any of the players in this dossier which combines all the flaws of today’s EU governance: …
BREXIT & THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY
As uncertainty about the practical consequences of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union grows, Michel Jacquot (an expert in WTO and CAP law) and Daniel Guéguen (PACT European Affairs) have decided to take action. In this must-read text, they …
Better Regulation: 10 graphs to help you understand’ – October 2016
You will recall that last year PACT European Affairs published its booklet ‘Better Regulation: 10 graphs to help you understand’, providing a useful visual overview and analysis of the Commission’s Better Regulation package and what it means for EU public …
Where is the European Parliament heading?
As everyone knows, the European Parliament is not a real Parliament. It is a co-legislator rather than a legislator, and does not possess the power of legislative initiative, which belongs to the Commission. This anomaly, which needs to be corrected …
Brexit: a WTO issue first and foremost
100 days on from the fateful UK referendum, the only thing agreed on is the huge complexity of Brexit. This justifies the wait-and-see approach of the UK government which, by cataloguing the many problems that need to be resolved, is …
Barnier and Brexit – Bad mood before the holidays
Without doubt, the Commission President is embarrassing – embarrassing when he comments, embarrassing when he doesn’t take decisions, and even embarrassing when he does. Appointing Michel Barnier as chief Brexit negotiator on behalf of the Commission comes squarely under this …
EU crisis: Authority and values to restore Europeans’ desire to live together
The reaction of Jean-Claude Juncker to the Nice attacks was interesting. In Le Soir, he stated: “We have to ask ourselves when this is going to stop?” For months, I have been saying over and over again that the President of …