So-called Brexit Research Articles

Advanced therapies and the Brexit process: emerging geographies of legal responsibilities and market opportunities

ABSTRACT This paper analyses how so-called Brexit, that is the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union (EU), has modified the regional geography of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs). The latter are therapies deriving from cell manipulation, gene editing, tissue engineering, or a combination of these techniques. Their development and delivery have been realised through research collaborations and commercial relations of international scope. In the EU, this has happened by means of a complex distribution of commercial activities and legal responsibilities. With Brexit, three main kinds of reconfigurations have occurred: the relocation of research and manufacturing activities; the reorganisation of quality control tests aimed to manage clinical risks; and the redistribution of legal responsibilities and representatives. This technical and legal reconfiguration is captured here by means of theoretical insights from the emerging domain of legal geography. Drawing on interviews conducted with both EU and UK professionals involved in ATMP development, this paper reveals the main challenges brought by Brexit to the current and future configuration of the ATMP landscape in the EU and the UK. Furthermore, it demonstrates how shifts in legal arrangements impact on science-intensive domains.

The Impact of Brexit on the Transformation of Majoritarian Democracy in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The article attempts to answer whether, and if so, to what extent, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union (the so-called Brexit) impacted the British model of democracy. The starting point for the analysis is the famous classification of Arend Lijphart, who distinguished two main models of democracy – Westminster and consensus – identifying the United Kingdom as a prime example of the first of them. Using the method of institutional and legal analysis and the historical method, the author tries to prove the thesis that Brexit has shaken the foundations of the majoritarian democracy in the United Kingdom. However, the transformations of this model are not a new phenomenon, as they are part of the trend of changes occurring in this country, at least since the end of the 1990s. The article also proves the thesis that the serious political and systemic tensions to which Brexit – for very different reasons – led can be treated as temporary, as there is little indication that these tensions would permanently undermine the foundations of the Westminster model of democracy in the United Kingdom.

Brexit - Between the Ideology of Euroscepticism and the 'Innocence' of the Treaty on European Union

Built on the values of freedom and prosperity, democracy and peace, the European Union has created over time a huge constitutional framework, culminating in the Lisbon Treaty, adopted in 2007 and known as the Treaty on European Union. It reflected the will of the then 27 Member States to live together in a cohesive society, guided by the principle of subsidiarity, and to offer neighboring countries the opportunity to join the Union. As regards EU enlargement, the procedure was laid down in principle in Article 49 TEU; for reasons of symmetry, the Treaty introduced Article 50 to cover the possible scenario of a Member State leaving the Union. Although no one expected it, Article 50 TEU was activated by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland following a referendum on the so-called Brexit in the summer of 2016. At the beginning of 2020, after lengthy negotiations, the British - Eurosceptics who had made a discordant note for 43 years in the implementation of common policies - effectively left the EU, hoping for a better life and leaving us to reflect on the "innocence" of a treaty article drafted from too much democracy.

Make leave, not war. Intertextual references in the British press coverage of Brexit

Abstract In the so-called Brexit referendum which took place on 23 June 2016, a slim majority of British citizens voted in favour of the United Kingdom leaving the EU. Following this decision, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union on 31 January 2020. On both occasions, British newspapers responded with a series of articles and front pages where they elaborated on various arguments for and against Brexit and declared sides in the Brexit campaign. The following study, which focuses on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, is based on Brexit-related front pages and articles from print and online editions of British newspapers published in both June 2016 and late January/early February 2020. The analysed periodicals represent diverging viewpoints: some argued against Brexit, whereas others backed the Leave campaign. The main points of interest are the intertextual techniques implied in the analysed media texts, ranging from direct quotation to (visual) allusion. They are viewed and discussed as means of (1) revealing the stance of the analysed newspapers; (2) extending the meaning of a given text; (3) attracting attention; and, last but not least, (4) “infotainment”, i.e. involving and entertaining the readership. The conducted analysis proves visual allusions based on British and European national symbols as well as structural allusions to films, songs and works of literature, proverbs and fixed phrases to be a widely applied journalistic strategy in the British media coverage of Brexit. Carefully targeted by producers of media and appropriately decoded by the readership not only do they fulfil a meaning-making and evaluative function but first and foremost provide entertainment, enhance the attractiveness and thus maintain and/or increase the circulation of the newspaper in question.

The status of English in the EU institutions after Brexit: A discursive analysis of selected press articles

The aim of this article is to find out what the status of English, currently the primary working language within the EU institutions, might look like once the United Kingdom leaves the EU structures. To that end, this paper will analyse a selection of press articles. Although the manner in which the so-called Brexit will take place is still uncertain, a diverse range of opinions and prognostications on what will happen to English is being expressed publicly, taking into consideration many factors (political, sociological and purely linguistic) which may contribute to a possible scenario or scenarios. This article does not lay claim to submitting any firm or reliable vision of the future as none such exists elsewhere. This paper intends to analyze some discursive strategies employed by the authors of the articles to place the discussed subject into a discursive framework by using tools of critical discourse analysis which mainly focus on the relation of power and language.

A Crise na União Europeia e os Impactos nos Princípios Fundamentais do Trabalho Diante da Flexibilização de Direitos pelos Estados-Membros em Contrariedade aos Preceitos do Direito Comunitário

A pesquisa apresenta de forma prática os impactos da crise de 2008 e anos seguintes na Europa e a atuação do bloco econômico, para amenizar a crise por meio de medidas de austeridade, que perduram até a presente data. A busca por uma solução para a crise que assolou a União Europeia, o possível conflito com os direitos indisponíveis e a necessidade imposta de flexibilização de direitos, em especial em direito do trabalho merece debate. Ao que se percebe as medidas apresentadas pelos países integrantes da União Europeia para solucionar ainda que em parte a crise econômica está diretamente ligada a ideia de supressão de direitos. A exemplo cita-se a redução de jornadas de trabalho, aumento de idade para aposentadoria, entre outros preceitos fundamentais inerentes a dignidade da pessoa humana, que vêm sendo flexibilizados no decorrer da crise. Discute-se a legalidade destas flexibilizações diante da tutela de proteção dos direitos humanos fundamentais e do Direito comunitário europeu, sob o ponto de vista do direito internacional, das Convenções da OIT, ONU, que foram ratificadas pelos diversos países da Europa. Ao longo dos anos, a União Europeia perpassa por uma série de crises e consequentes precarização do direito do trabalho, sendo uma das mais recentes e relevantes, a saída do Reino Unido da União Europeia, por meio do denominado Brexit.

Media support and its influence on the results of the referendum in Britain’s exit from the EU

June 2016 was marked by a landmark event - the so-called Brexit (literally from Britain’s exit ) – a referendum in which 52% of the population voted for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and only 48% - against. The significant changes that took place in the UK in the summer of 2016, finally split British society into those who are for and against leaving the European Union. The British media acted as a platform for political debates and discussions on the key issue of Britain’s stay in the EU. The most powerful media conglomerate, of course, had a decisive influence on the mood of those who voted, intensifying social polarization, which was reflected in the results of the fateful referendum. Elements of the British media played a key role in the debate over the referendum on the country’s membership in the European Union. The exit vote was influenced by a long campaign against the EU and against migration from EU countries. Throughout the campaign, virtually all media are in flagrant violation of journalistic standards of objectivity, fairness, and accuracy, becoming essentially propaganda bodies. The relevance of the study is due to the fundamental changes in British society related to the Brexit process, as well as the importance for politicians and the public of understanding public opinion and the media about Brexit. In addition, it is important to see how the view of Brexit has changed. It is necessary to find out the benefits, priorities and understanding of different scenarios, the driving forces behind these attitudes, and whether they change in response to statements and remarks by politicians and public figures. Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union is important for the whole world, as it affects the changing geopolitics of the whole of Europe. This topic is important for understanding the study of the political preferences of British society and the British media during the Brexit process. It can be stated unequivocally that both Brexit and the subsequent US election campaign in 2016 showed another example of skillful speculation in facts and figures, the successful creation and dissemination of unverified “viral information” through the media, which in the era of telecommunications has become a particularly effective tool for manipulation of public sentiment. The example of Brexit has demonstrated how to take the success of such campaigns to a new level, using all types of media (from traditional to electronic, including social networks), through which you can introduce into society binary oppositions that divide it, to introduce into the information space certain political figures, to popularize the necessary moods and slogans, to simplify the political process to the level of a show.

Expectations of access to debt finance for SMEs in times of uncertainty

ABSTRACT This articles examines small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) expectations of access to debt finance in times of uncertainty. In particular, we studied whether relationship lending affects British SMEs’ concerns about future access to debt finance after the UK referendum on European Union membership (the so-called Brexit referendum). By using a unique survey, we found that relationship lending significantly reduces SMEs’ expectations of being financially constrained, although the same does not hold for firms engaging in product innovation. Our results are robust after controlling for accounting information disclosure and for the relationship between the expectation of access to debt finance, the prospect of growth, and changes in business strategies.

Przyszłość Unii Europejskiej po Brexicie. Rosyjski punkt widzenia

In recent years, it is difficult not to notice the growing number of serious crises experienced by the European Union. It is clear that the old methods of overcoming crises in today’s reality do not work anymore. The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in June 2016 (the so-called Brexit) can undoubtedly be called a special turning point in the existence and functioning of the EU. The aim of the article is to present, analyse and compare opinions and assessments created in the expert and academic environment in Russia on the future of the European Union after the referendum in Great Britain. Another goal is to find an answer to the question of what future of relations between the EU and Russia is expected by Russian researchers and experts. In the article the following research methods were used: desk research, critical analysis, comparative method and analysis of media discourse.

La Unión Europea como paradigma civil y político para el siglo xxi

The EU represents an institutional and ontological novelty that raises conceptual challenges to political theory. Indeed, the EU is key to understanding the civil and political community of the 21st century, suitable for the globalized world. Yet, the European project, and its main civic achievement, that is, Union citizenship, faces deep challenges in light of nationalist and populist discourses expanding all across Europe, as the case of the so-called Brexit shows. This articles aims at highlighting the political singularity of the EU and underlining the challenges it poses to political theory, stressing the reach and shortcomings of Union citizenship.

Social Effects of the Vote of the Majority: A Field-Experiment on the Brexit-Vote

The 2016 EU referendum result in the UK --- the so-called Brexit vote --- was widely perceived as a statement against immigration. We conducted a field-experiment in England to test whether the Brexit vote triggered anti-social attitudes towards immigrants. In a computerized quiz, our (non-deceptive) intervention randomized the information of whether the local majority voted to Leave or to Remain in the EU, shifting individuals' perceptions about the support for Brexit. We find that such information in support of Brexit increased negative attitudes towards immigrants living in the UK. This was evident from measures of extrinsic attitudes (i.e. self-reported policy preferences and allocation of money in a dictator game), but we observed no effects on intrinsic prejudice, as measured by an Implicit Association Test. We find that 'Brexiteers' reacted to the information that the majority voted to `Remain', while 'Remainers' reacted to the majority vote to `Leave'. Thus, the impactful treatments inhibited (rather than reinforced) individuals' pre-existing views to conform to the vote of the majority. Our findings provide insight into the effects of referenda results in changing individuals' attitudes.

Brexit Diplomacy: the Strange Case of Security and Defense

The British decision to leave the European Union has created a number of challenges in the security and defense realms. The difficulties with implementing the decision are compounded by the unusual apparatus and haphazard manner by which the so-called Brexit negotiations have been handled on the uk side.

Editorial

Editorial

Wpływ wyjścia Zjednoczonego Królestwa z Unii Europejskiej na wspólną politykę bezpieczeństwa i obrony UE

The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (so-called Brexit) is one of the most important events in the process of European integration. It has a lot of extremely remarkable implications – both for the EU and for the United Kingdom. Among other, Brexit will affect the security of the United Kingdom and the EU. The aim of the study is to answer the research question: how will Britain’s exit from the EU influence the EU common security and defence policy? In order to answer this question, the factors that are most relevant to the United Kingdom’s significance for the EU’s security and defence policy will be identified. This will show how the EU’s potential of the security and defence policy will change, when the UK leaves this organisation. The most important conclusions are included in the summary.

How do we make sense of chaos? Navigating health research regulation through the liminality of the Brexit process.

This article examines the Brexit process through the anthropological lens of liminality. As a concept that explains the impact of change and transformation on human experience, it is argued that liminality is an especially valuable perspective to understand better the phenomenon of Brexit, particularly as to how this might impact on the regulation of human health research. A central feature of liminality is its attention to process; that is, the identification of milestone thresholds within a series of events involving change. More particularly, liminality has a degree of predictive power about certain influencing factors on transformational processes and their outcomes. In this regard, the pivotal role of law is subjected to close scrutiny in the period leading up to March 29, 2018: one year before the so-called Brexit Day. The European Union (EU) (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 was the threshold trigger for the Brexit process, while the EU Withdrawal Bill 2017–2019 has as its objective the shepherding through of the United Kingdom in its departure from the EU. The argument is made that these events are liminal moments in European legal and human history; moreover, lessons from history are used to identify the specific implications for human health research as an area of human activity that will be profoundly impacted by the Brexit process. This analysis also provides a means to reflect on the broader implications of what a disruptive process such as Brexit means for law generally.

Legal analysis of systemic investment protection regulation in the European Union’s financial sector

After the Treaty of Lisbon the European Union has an exclusive and uniform competence regarding investment agreements within its common commercial policy. Yet the political events in 2016 showed that there are still many regional differences politically and economically, especially after the so-called Brexit and negotiations with the United States of America in relation to transatlantic trade and investment. Therefore, the aim of the research is to determine the legal framework and related problems for unified investment protection within the European Union. Using descriptive, logical and deductive methodology the paper establishes a juristic base consensus for trade and investment policies, concludes that so far those policies have been systemically neglected due to regional differences in economic development and accordingly suggests to unify and protect the common investment policies by using already existing regional judicial mechanisms of member states within a unified code of conduct.

Brexit and What It Means For REACH and CLP

This article examines the consequences of the so-called Brexit in view of the EU regulatory regime on chemicals. Two years ago, a Member State leaving the EU was regarded by most as a merely theoretical scenario. Yet, following the referendum of 23 June 2016, actors both in the political and economic sphere have to adapt quickly in order to master imminent challenges. To address these challenges, this paper will first outline the basic legal framework that governs the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and the development of this procedure up to now. In a second step, it will examine specific problems in view of EU chemicals regulation while providing some ideas as regards possible solutions.

Special Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the United States of America in the Light of Brexit and Donald Trump's Victory in the Presidential Election

This article is devoted to the "special relationship" between the United Kingdom and the United States: a strategic partnership that has united these two countries for good after WWII, even though in many respects it has lasted since the first half of the 19th century. The author starts with presenting the historic outline of the "special relationship" with an emphasis on the characteristics of mutual ties and dependencies. The author also analyses the political circumstances in which tightening or loosening of the British and American relations took place. In the final part of the article, the author refers to the most recent political events, which in 2016 took place in Great Britain and in the United Sates. In this manner, the author is trying to answer the question on how the decision on leaving the European Union by Great Britain (the so-called Brexit) and the election of Donald Trump as the US president will influence the shape of the British and American alliance

Brexit cloud looms over academic scientists

Paul Kamer was a chemistry professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union on June 23, 2016. An EU national originally from the Netherlands, Kamer says his next steps were clear after he switched on BBC News the next morning to learn the outcome of the so-called Brexit referendum. “I started to organize my own Brexit,” Kamer says. “My decision became final when the U.K. government announced that the status of EU citizens would become part of the negotiations. I have no faith whatsoever in the policies of Westminster politicians.” Kamer, who studies homogeneous catalysis and develops artificial enzymes to convert biomass into renewable feedstocks, is now a professor at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Germany. Although there are no hard numbers on how many have left, Brexit, which was decided narrowly when 52% of voters checked the “leave

Brexit and its Implications for European Integration

On the eve of 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the UK voted to withdraw from the EU (so-called Brexit). The implications for European integration and EU policies are far from clear and require further investigation. This paper aims to answer: what does Brexit imply for European integration? What messages were sent to the EU from the UK referendum? Did EU leaders interpret these messages and implications correctly and did they respond with the right policy? After examining the competing interpretations, this paper argues that the sharp divisions between different socio-economic classes shown in voting behaviour highlight the imperative of addressing economic inequality and distributive injustice, which are rooted in the structural flaws of EU governance and have been aggravated by the mismanagement of the Euro crisis. To move European integration forward and to keep a ‘political Europe’ sustainable, a ‘social Europe’ making an ‘economic Europe’ more inclusive and fair is required.