International law Archives

Research Briefing

The ‘Strasbourg package’

Wednesday, 13 March, 2019

On 11 March 2019 the UK government and the EU agreed a series of 'interpretations' and 'clarifications' of the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration they negotiated in November 2018. What is in the published documents? What are their effects? To what extent do they provide legally binding guarantees? How did they change the Attorney General's legal opinion of the Withdrawal Agreement? What was the result of the second 'meaningful vote' held in the House of Commons on the updated 'package', and what happens next?
Research Briefing

South Sudan: March 2019 update

Wednesday, 06 March, 2019

South Sudan was born in 2011. Since the moment of its birth, its people have been embroiled in turmoil, conflict and suffering. Although the civil war which has raged since 2013 has complex roots, observers attribute much of the blame to its leaders, President Salva Kiir Mayardit and former First Vice-President Riek Machar, who head up opposing political and armed factions of the ruling party. Over the last year or so, there have been renewed peace efforts. Could this mean peace at last?
Research Briefing

What if there’s no Brexit deal?

Friday, 08 February, 2019

What could happen if the EU and UK negotiators don't agree a withdrawal agreement in time and the UK has to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 without one - and with no framework for future relations either? This paper looks at how such a situation might come about, the constitutional implications for the UK and in some cases for the devolved administrations, and what the impact might be in a range of policy areas.
Research Briefing

Crime (Overseas Production Orders) Bill

Tuesday, 29 January, 2019

The Crime (Overseas Production Orders) Bill [HL] would create a framework to enable law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to apply to a UK court for an ‘overseas production order’ requiring a person (in practice, generally a communications service provider or ‘CSP’) in a foreign jurisdiction to produce or grant access to electronic data for the purposes of investigating and prosecuting serious crime. An application would only be granted if the judge was satisfied that the data was likely to be of substantial value to the criminal proceedings or investigations for which it was sought, and that it would be in the public interest.
Research Briefing

EU assurances to the UK on Brexit

Wednesday, 16 January, 2019

The EU and UK negotiators agreed the texts of a Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on a framework for a future EU-UK relationship, and the time came for the UK Parliament to vote on it. But on 15 January Parliament rejected the two documents by 230 votes. The EU has said there will be no renegotiating the texts but has offered assurances on the intention that the backstop arrangement to prevent a hard Irish border would be temporary if it had to be introduced. This paper looks at what the EU has offered by way of 'clarifications' and 'assurances' on the backstop and whether the EU would offer an extension to Article. 50 might .
Research Briefing

The Political Declaration on the Framework for Future EU-UK Relations

Friday, 30 November, 2018

This paper looks at the Political Declaration on the Framework for the Future Relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom, which was agreed by EU leaders on 25 November.
Research Briefing

The South and East China Sea disputes: recent developments

Wednesday, 07 November, 2018

For some time the Library has been tracking the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea, publishing several background briefings about them. This note provides a short overview of the main developments in these disputes since 2016.
Research Briefing

Brexit Unknowns (update)

Wednesday, 26 September, 2018

What do we still not know about the Brexit process or the withdrawal agreement with the EU that is currently being negotiated? This paper looks at some of the main unknowns.
Research Briefing

Brexit and Governance of the UK-EU Relationship

Friday, 14 September, 2018

How are relations between the UK and the EU governed at the moment and what will happen after Brexit? This paper looks at the EU and UK proposals to date on how EU law will be observed and how disputes about this will be dealt with.
Research Briefing

The Brexit White Paper on future relations and alternative proposals

Tuesday, 28 August, 2018

The Government published its White Paper on future relations between the UK and the EU on 12 July. It envisages a 'common rulebook' to facilitate 'frictionless' trade, and among other things, UK cooperation in security matters, a commitment to maintain high environmental, data and consumer protection standards, UK participation in some EU agencies and solutions to the Irish border issues - all underpinned by a new governance structure that will pay "due regard" to the EU Court. Would the White Paper proposals work and do they respect both UK sovereignty and the indivisibility of the EU Single Market? David Davis's 'alternative' white paper proposes a somewhat different future relationship. This paper looks at proposals in both documents.
Research Briefing

Brexit and the environment

Wednesday, 08 August, 2018

A House of Commons Library Briefing paper discussing current environmental law and policy in the UK and in the devolved nations; preparations for Brexit and potential impacts of Brexit; and actions and proposals being taken at a domestic level for both the UK and each of the nations in the UK.
Research Briefing

Brexit and European Citizenship

Friday, 06 July, 2018

When the UK leaves the EU in March 2019 UK nationals will lose their right to EU citizenship. Although the draft withdrawal agreement contains provisions that will guarantee certain citizens' rights for UK citizens living in another EU Member State and for EU citizens living in the UK, they will not guarantee EU citizenship status. There have been proposals for a form of 'associate' EU citizenship, which does not at present exist and is not being discussed by the Brexit negotiators. This paper looks at the debate and at public support for such proposals.
Research Briefing

The Ivory Bill

Thursday, 28 June, 2018

This Commons Briefing Paper on the Ivory Bill covers the Government proposal to ban the commercial use of elephant ivory, with some exceptions. It also include background information on the ivory trade, its impact on wild elephant populations and international efforts to address this. The Bill has its Report Stage in the House of Commons on 4 July 2018.
Debate Pack

E-petition 205169 relating to Parliament’s vote on the deal for the UK’s exit from the EU

Friday, 08 June, 2018

On 11 June 2018 there will be a debate on e-petition 205169 relating to Parliament’s vote on the deal for the UK’s exit from the EU. The debate will take place in Westminster Hall at 4:30pm. The Member opening the debate is Liz Twist MP.
Research Briefing

Brexit: new guidelines on the framework for future EU-UK relations

Thursday, 19 April, 2018

Brexit negotiations have resumed and this third phase will cover issues outstanding from the last phases - the Irish border in particular - and the framework for future EU-UK relations. This paper looks at how the EU and the UK envisage their relationship after Brexit.
- Research Briefing
- Armed forces
- Aviation
- Benefits policy
- Business
- Civil law
- Climate change
- Crime
- Criminal law
- Defence policy
- Economic policy
- Economy
- Environment
- Equality
- EU institutions
- EU law and treaties
- Europe
- Farming and fishing
- Finance
- Government
- Immigration
- Institutions
- International law
- International trade
- Parliament
- Rail
- Roads
- Sciences
- Security
- The EU
- Transport
- Brexit

Total results (page 11 of 19)