Member News

Vulcan Insight: Analysis of the Latest EU Developments

General Election in Ireland kicks off
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar ended weeks of speculation on Tuesday as went to the President to ask him to dissolve parliament, paving the way for a general election on Saturday, February 8. His Fine Gael-led minority government served in power for four years, with support from the main opposition party Fianna Fáil, through a ‘Confidence and Supply’ agreement. With the immediate risk of a ‘no deal Brexit’ averted through the passing of the Withdrawal Agreement, and the government facing the risk of losing a motion of no-confidence in early spring, Varadkar chose to call the election on his own terms. Keep reading

Phil Hogan crosses the pond for trade talks
European Commissioner for Trade, Phil Hogan travelled to Washington this week in what was his first trip outside of the EU. Commissioner Hogan made the trip across the Atlantic seeking to reset the EU/US trade agenda and lay down some cooperative bedrock, before addressing global trade challenges at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week. In December 2019, following criticism of long delays and inappropriate standards, the WTO’s appellate body shut down its operations. Ongoing digital tax disputes paired with questions over state subsidised airlines have increased transatlantic tensions. Keep reading

Northern Ireland Executive faces further challenges

On Thursday, Tánaiste Simon Coveney and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Julian Smith published the long-awaited deal entitled ‘New Decade, New Approach’ which saw the return of devolved government to Northern Ireland after three years. Read our full analysis on the website, including the further challenges the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement poses for the region. 
 
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