The European Commission’s Chief Negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, is to meet the Scottish Parliament’s European Committee on Monday (11 September 2017). The Committee will hear first-hand about the progress of the negotiations and the respective positions of the EU and the UK from the European Commission’s perspective. Continue reading EC’s Brexit negotiatons chief to brief Holyrood committee
UK’s devolved administrations argue that they should be involved in negotiations
The Scottish and Welsh Governments have written jointly to the Brexit Secretary David Davis to ensure the UK’s devolved administrations are properly involved in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations. Continue reading Brexit talks: let us in!
Hundreds of P6 children from all over Scotland took over the Scottish Parliament’s Debating Chamber on Monday for Euroquiz 2017. Continue reading Falkirk’s Comely Park are Euroquiz champions
Cities across Europe, from Berlin to Bucharest, from Rome to London and including Edinburgh, will march on Saturday (25th March) to show their support for the European Union. Continue reading March For Europe in Edinburgh this Saturday
Scottish Secretary David Mundell met with Scottish MEPs, EU academics and business representatives in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how the UK Government is representing people and business interests in Scotland. Continue reading Scottish Secretary flies the flag in Europe
“So that when future generations look back at this time, they will judge us not only by the decision that we made, but by what we made of that decision. They will see that we shaped them a brighter future. They will know that we built them a better Britain.” – Prime Minister Theresa May
Yesterday, Prime Minister Theresa May set out the Plan for Britain, including the 12 priorities that the UK government will use to negotiate Brexit: Continue reading A better Britain? Theresa May’s Brexit speech in full
Edinburgh’s SNP politicians have backed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s proposals to keep Scotland in the European Single Market. And if support from her own party isn’t particularly surprising there’s support too from Labour’s former health minister Malcolm Chisholm. Continue reading City support for Scotland’s Place in Europe
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis has announced that the Government plans to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act (ECA). The Act gives direct effect to all EU law and the introduction of a new Bill to repeal it will mean the Act ceases to apply from the day of exit.
At the same time the new Bill will convert existing EU law into domestic law, while allowing Parliament to amend, repeal or improve any law after appropriate scrutiny and debate.
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis said: “We will follow the process to leave the EU which is set out in Article 50.
“The Prime Minister has been clear that she won’t start the formal negotiations about our exit before the end of the year. As we prepare for those negotiations in Europe, we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law. It’s very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply.
“To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day. It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit. That is what people voted for: power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country.”
Mr Davis also dismissed any suggestion that the Government intends to use Brexit to roll back workers’ rights – pointing out that in many areas, including annual and parental leave, UK law goes further than minimum standards offered under EU law.
He added: “To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying “When we leave, employment rights will be eroded”, I say firmly and unequivocally “no they won’t”.
“The European Communities Act has meant that if there is a clash between an act of the British Parliament and EU law, EU law prevails. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has interpreted EU law and delivered judgments that were binding on the UK and other member states. The repeal Bill will end ECJ jurisdiction in the UK.”
Mr Davis said the move demonstrates the Government’s determination to deliver the will of the British people, expressed in the EU referendum result, to ensure that Britain makes its own decisions about how it wants the country to be run.
The Repeal Bill will include powers for ministers to make some changes by secondary legislation, giving the Government the flexibility to take account of the negotiations with the EU as they proceed.
It will also ensure that the Government can establish new domestic regimes in areas where regulation and licensing is currently done at an EU level, and amendments are required to ensure the law operates effectively at a domestic level. The ECA created a power which currently exists for Ministers to make secondary legislation to give effect to EU law.
Legislation resulting from the UK’s exit must work for the whole of the United Kingdom, so the Government will work closely with the devolved administrations to get the best possible deal for all parts of the United Kingdom as we leave the EU. They will have opportunities to have their say and we will look at any suggestions they put forward.
The Prime Minister has stated that she intends to trigger Article 50, the formal process for starting a two-year negotiation over exit from the EU, by next March. In order for the UK to withdraw in an orderly way, ECA repeal will ensure that legislation is passed in advance so that EU law ceases to apply and domestic law can take its place on the day of exit.
Continue reading The end is nigh: Government paves the way for orderly EU withdrawal
EU nationals living in Scotland will have the chance to discuss the implications of the EU referendum result with the First Minister later this week. Continue reading EU’re welcome here
Can’t afford to get away on holiday this summer? You’re not alone – it’s a Europe-wide issue, as EC economic analyst M. Vaalavuo explains ...
Schools are closed, summer holidays are here, and also this blog is having its well-deserved summer break. Like many of you, authors of Evidence in Focus are leaving their desks to travel in Europe and beyond. However, without wanting to spoil your holidays, this may be a good time to recall that 39 per cent of Europeans cannot afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home.
This is a form of deprivation that is taken into account in the calculation of the EU’s indicator of the risk of poverty and social exclusion (AROPE) which counts people who face
The last one is an absolute measure of living standards that complements the measure of relative monetary poverty (people with disposable income below 60 % of the country’s median income). The EU severe material deprivation rate is currently defined as the share of the population living in households that cannot afford at least four out of nine items. 8.9 per cent of the EU population were in this situation in 2014.
One week annual holiday away from home is one of these nine items. Other items are for example the capacity to face unexpected financial expenses, to afford a washing machine or a car, and the ability to avoid arrears in mortgage or rent payments. The most prevalent forms of deprivation concern holidays and the capacity to cope with unexpected expenses.
Across countries, there is a huge variation in the share of people who cannot afford holidays away from home (see chart). In the Nordic countries, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria, fewer than 20 per cent of the population are deprived of an annual holiday in 2014, while in Hungary, Croatia and Romania this concerns more than 60 per cent.
Not surprisingly, people who are at risk of monetary poverty are also most likely to be deprived of holidays away from home: 70 per cent of them cannot afford holidays. But even among those who are not poor in monetary terms, a third is deprived of holidays away from home.
However, the situation is improving in many countries. Since 2008, the share of people not affording holidays away from home has decreased in 15 EU Member States: especially in Poland (11 pp.), Malta (10 pp.), Portugal (9 pp.), Austria (9 pp.), and Bulgaria (9 pp.). Furthermore, after an initial increase in the share from 2008 to 2010 in the Baltic countries, the share has since then fallen in Lithuania by 20, in Latvia by 18 and in Estonia by 16 percentage points. This development can be considered a real improvement in living conditions of these people, but it still leaves us many to be worried about.
After the holdidays … Evidence in Focus will be back in September. We wish you a great summer!
Author M. Vaalavuo is a socio-economic analyst in the unit of Thematic Analysis of DG EMPL
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
Editor’s note: this article is part of a regular series called “Evidence in focus“, which will put the spotlight on key findings from past and on-going research at DG EMPL
A free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country.
Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider.
Important – the European Health Insurance Card:
Please note: when you move your habitual residence to another country, you should register with the S1 form instead of using the EHIC to receive medical care in your new country of habitual residence.
