European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
Aidan Christie
Council of the European Union: Facts and Figures
The Council of the European Union – often referred to as the Council of Ministers, or simply the Council – forms one part of the legislature and the budgetary authority of the Union. Continue reading
European Parliament’s October I plenary session
Once the last of the first round of hearings of the European Commission candidates put forward by Ursula von der Leyen concludes on Tuesday 8 October, the attention of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will turn to the first plenary session of the new term to be held in Brussels. Continue reading
Next steps in the debate on the future of Europe
A clearer view of the European Commission’s vision of the future of Europe should be one outcome of the 2017 State of the Union speech by President Jean-Claude Juncker. Continue reading
Differentiated integration in the European Union
Written by Aidan Christie and Giulio Sabbati, As the number of European Union Member States has increased and the competences of the Union have widened, some Member States have on occasion been exempted from joining their partners in new fields of integration. Whilst the single market and its ‘four freedoms’ remain at the heart of … Continue reading
State of the Union #SOTEU
Written by Aidan Christie The US President’s State of the Union address has been an annual feature for generations. The corresponding speech to the European Parliament by the President of the Commission has a shorter history but its aim is essentially the same – to report publicly to parliamentarians, and to a broader audience of … Continue reading
Changes to the ECB’s voting rules
Written by Conall Devaney and Aidan Christie With Lithuania joining the euro area on 1 January 2015, the total number of states using the single currency reaches 19, consequently bringing about significant changes in the decision-making structures of the European Central Bank (ECB). In particular, there is a new rotation system for the votes of … Continue reading
The European Union and Northern Ireland
Written by Conall Devaney and Aidan Christie The European Union has played a key role in assisting Northern Ireland’s recovery from decades of conflict and division. The political support of the Commission, and the channelling of EU funds to Northern Ireland, has helped pave the way for several key projects aimed at improving cross-community cooperation … Continue reading
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