Research Briefing
This Bill strengthens the provisions of the European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 with explicit procedures for agreeing to or ratifying certain EU decisions or treaty changes, including provisions for referendums on changes that would transfer powers from the UK to the EU.
Research Briefing
This Note looks at the Commission proposal for implementing the Citizens' Initiative, the Council's response to it, the British Government's views and UK parliamentary scrutiny.
Research Briefing
This paper explores various approaches to the question of how much national law is based on or influenced by EU law.
Research Briefing
The UK has an opt-in arrangement to measures in the "Area of Freedom, Security and Justice", which concern mainly immigration and asylum, border control, judicial cooperation in civil law, policing and criminal law. This Note looks at parliamentary scrutiny of the opt-in arrangement.
Research Briefing
This Note is intended to be a companion to Library Standard Note 831 Fixed Term Parliaments. It explains how fixed term parliaments operate in a number of other advanced democracies, both parliamentary and presidential.
Research Briefing
This Note provides links to a selection of opinion polls showing UK views on different aspects of our membership of the European Union.
Research Briefing
This Note considers the different types of EU legislative instruments and their implementation requirements. It also gives figures for EU laws adopted since 1980 and repealed since 1997, as well as an estimate of the proportion of UK secondary legislation made under the ECA to implement EU obligations.
Research Briefing
This Note looks at the background to recent reform of the European Parliament expenses and allowances system. It provides information on the current expenses regime, with links to political party pledges and declarations of interest.
Research Briefing
This Note sets out how individuals who believe they are victims of a government's failure to respect an EU obligation, or that they have been negatively affected by an EU act or a failure to act, can seek judicial and non-judicial remedies.
Research Briefing
This Note looks at how the Lisbon Treaty, which came into force on 1 December 2009, is being implemented. It also considers how the UK might scrutinise the new procedures contained in the Treaty.
Research Briefing
This Note looks at the role of the new High Representative for EU foreign affairs and security policy, the method of appointment and possible candidates for the job. It does not consider the new European External Action Service.
Research Briefing
Now that all 27 Member States have ratified the Lisbon Treaty, the Swedish EU Presidency is holding an extraordinary meeting on 19 November 2009 to decide on the post-holders for the three new top jobs created by the Treaty. This Note looks at one of these posts - that of President of the European Council.
Research Briefing
This Note looks at the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon by the Czech Republic.
Research Briefing
In a referendum on 2 October 2009 the Republic of Ireland voted by 67.1% to 32.9% in favour of ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon, having voted against its ratification in June 2008. Politically, the second vote was predicated on concessions agreed by the European Council in December 2008 and confirmed in June 2009 as “guarantees” to be formalised in a protocol attached to the next accession treaty. The positive Irish vote was welcomed by the EU institutions and other Member States, but Poland and the Czech Republic still have not completed ratification. This paper looks at the background to the referendum and other ratification developments.
Research Briefing
This Note looks at the Swedish European Union Presidency programme, its priorities and some of the issues and events that have dominated the first half of the Presidency. It also considers matters that are likely to occupy the Presidency until the end of 2009.
Total results (page 14 of 20)