Research Briefing
This Note aims to clarify some of the terminology used to describe the institutions, laws and procedures of the European Union. It also provides links to useful sources of information on the EU.
Research Briefing
The EU concludes many international agreements with third States or international organisations. This Commons Library briefing looks at how the EU negotiates these agreements and how the UK scrutinises and ratifies them.
Debate Pack
The House of Commons Library prepares a briefing in hard copy and/or online for most non-legislative debates in the Chamber and Westminster Hall other than half-hour debates. Debate Packs are produced quickly after the announcement of parliamentary business. They are intended to provide a summary or overview of the issue being debated and identify relevant briefings and useful documents, including press and parliamentary material. More detailed briefing can be prepared for Members on request to the Library.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library briefing paper looks at the Prime Minister’s proposals for EU reform, which he set out in a letter to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, in November 2015, concerning four broad areas: economic governance, competitiveness, sovereignty and free movement. It also looks at Donald Tusk’s package of draft texts to address UK concerns, their implications and prospects for agreement.
Debate Pack
This is a Debate Pack for the debate on 'Parliamentary sovereignty and EU renegotiations' on Thursday 4 February 2016. Debate Packs are collections of parliamentary and other relevant material produced for most non-legislative debates in the Chamber and Westminster Hall, other than half-hour adjournment debates.
Research Briefing
This Commons Library briefing paper looks at the Prime Minister’s proposed reforms, the launch of the UK reform agenda at the European Council in June 2015 and EU institutional initiatives of relevance to the Government's reform agenda. It also considers the level of support for the UK from other EU Member States, the role – if any - of the devolved administrations in the negotiations, public opinion, the referendum campaigns and other recent developments.
Research Briefing
Why did the UK Government decide to renegotiate the UK's terms of EEC membership in 1974-75? What was the outcome of the negotiations and what did the Referendum Bill say? This briefing looks at the Labour Government's renegotiation and indicates where there are parallels with the present Government's renegotiation agenda.
Research Briefing
This note brings together the main documents and developments regarding the EU's pan-Community supervisory and recovery mechanism for members’ banking sectors - the Banking Union. Significant new measures were approved of in December 2013 it faces a severe test in respect to Greece in 2015..
Research Briefing
Net neutrality is the concept that all information and services should have equal and open access online without regard to content, destination or source. Both net neutrality—and the associated concept of the ‘open internet’—are considered to be founding principles of the World Wide Web. Concerns that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are looking to circumvent net neutrality principles—deciding how fast data will be transmitted and at what quality—have led to campaigns to explicitly legislate for net neutrality. Without net neutrality campaigners fear a two-tiered service with fast and slow lanes could develop. In the past few years, the EU and other countries have attempted to explicitly legislate to ensure Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operate in a net neutral fashion.
Research Briefing
Prime Minister David Cameron would like to reform the EU and renegotiate the UK’s relationship with it, before holding an in/out referendum in 2017 if a Conservative government is elected in May 2015. The UK’s new relationship with the EU would be put to the electorate, who would decide whether the UK should remain in the EU under new terms or be the first Member State to leave the EU. This Note looks at what the Government is doing to tackle some of the perceived weaknesses of EU policy and procedures and looks at prospects for future reform.
Research Briefing
How much UK law implements EU obligations? This is virtually impossible to answer accurately, but approximate calculations can be made using law databases.
Research Briefing
What has happended in the European Economic Community since the UK joined in 1973?
Research Briefing
Many argue that the EU is a far cry from what the UK signed up to in 1973. This note looks at the major Treaty changes since the UK joined the EEC in 1973.
Research Briefing
The UK Government would like to opt back into 35 measures in the area of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters adopted before the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, but will the other EU Member States agree unanimously on this? Will the Government manage to get approval for the draft regulations published on 6 November which complete the transposition of 11 of the 35 opt-back-ins?
Research Briefing
The EU has just appointed four new institutional leaders: the President of the European Parliament, the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This Note looks at the background to the four recent appointments.
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