About us
The outcome of the UK’s negotiations with the EU will have far-reaching consequences for the UK’s relationship with its European neighbours. The aim of this project is to examine and communicate research on the negotiations between the UK and the EU, the UK’s relationship with the European Union, and the UK’s broader relations with ‘Europe’. The first phase of the research followed the Article 50 negotiations, to examine the positions taken by the two sides and to explore the implications of the various scenarios.
Thereafter, the focus has been on the interaction between the UK and the EU, the UK’s wider repositioning in Europe, and the impact on the UK and EU sides. The research pays particular attention to the positions and action of the EU institutions and the EU-27, which are often overlooked or downplayed in coverage of Brexit in the UK.
The findings of the research are published in several forms, including blogs, podcasts and academic articles. Videos and reports from the project’s programme of events – national, international, regional and local – can be found under Past Events
The project is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council under its UK in a Changing Europe programme. ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’ was created in 2015, and has achieved a strong reputation for its independence and the quality and rigour of its analysis.
Professor Kassim is one of nine Senior Fellows appointed under the programme in 2019. He was previously PI of Negotiating Brexit: national governments, EU institutions, and the UK, a cross-national observatory monitoring approaches to the Article 50 negotiations on the part of 15 member states, Norway, and the EU institutions. Professor Kassim previously held a Senior Fellow in the first round in 2015. In his career, Professor Kassim has published widely on the relationship between the EU and its member states, the EU institutions, and policy in competition and in aviation.
Negotiating the Future (2018-present)
- Professor Hussein Kassim, Principal Investigator, University of East Anglia UEA and Senior Fellow, The UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE)
- Dr Cleo Davies, Senior Research Associate
- Dr Pippa Lacey, Administrative Assistant
- Dr Katja Swider, Senior Research Associate (2018-20)
Previous projects
The UK’s departure from the EU will have far-reaching consequences for its European neighbours and the EU institutions, as well as the UK itself. This important project examined the approaches taken by the governments of the remaining member states (EU27), the EU institutions, and the UK to the Article 50 negotiations and to the negotiations concerning the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
Bringing together leading experts from across the EU to form a cross-national observatory and funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, Negotiating Brexit:
- provided informed commentary as the negotiations developed via a dedicated website, blogs and downloadable texts aimed at a general readership in the UK and beyond
- held conferences open to all at important stages of the negotiations
- created a digital depository of key documents available to anyone interested in the UK’s changing relationship with the EU
- delivered a collective volume that tracks the approaches of governments and EU institutions from David Cameron’s 2013 Bloomberg speech, through the June 23 referendum, the formal triggering of the Article 50 process by the government of Theresa May, to the negotiations themselves
- examined in an edited collection the domestic politics of Brexit across the EU
- contributed to academic scholarship on preferences, preference formation, and international negotiations.
The team worked closely with UK in a Changing Europe, a programme funded by the ESRC to provide independent and expert analysis to decision makers, stakeholders, the media, and the general public.
The project was led by Professor Hussein Kassim, University of East Anglia, and Dr Simon Usherwood, University of Surrey.
Negotiating Brexit
- Professor Hussein Kassim, Principal Investigator, University of East Anglia and Senior Fellow, ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’ (UKICE)
- Dr Pippa Lacey, Administrative Assistant
- Dr Vanessa Buth, Senior Research Assistant
UK Membership of the EU
- Professor Hussein Kassim, Principal Investigator, University of East Anglia and Senior Fellow, The UK in a Changing Europe
- Dr Stuart A. Brown, Senior Research Assistant
- Dr Vanessa Buth, Senior Research Assistant
Publications
In the wake of the October 2018 European Council, which was signalled as the decisive moment for the negotiations, we launched our second publication at a conference that takes stock of developments, looks at the views from other national capitals and “Brussels”, and considers the implications in a number of key areas, including the Irish border, trade, financial services, aviation, food, and competition policy.
Our first publication, ‘Negotiating Brexit: what do UK negotiating partners want?’ was launched on Friday 20 October 2017 at a conference held at the British Academy, London.
- Read Negotiating Brexit: What do the UK’s negotiating partners want?
- Read a report and watch video highlights from the day
Members of the project team presented their studies alongside several distinguished keynote speakers that included: former Foreign Secretary of State Sir Malcolm Rifkind QC; Legal Counsel at EU reform conferences from Maastricht to Lisbon Jean-Claude Piris; Lindsay Appleby, Director General at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and Chief Advisor to the EU Brexit Negotiator, Michel Barnier, Stefaan De Rynck.
For the countries and the institutions that they cover, contributors addressed the following questions:
- How important is Brexit to them? How are they preparing? Do they see the UK’s departure as a matter for regret, opportunity, or both?
- How do they view the principles that were adopted by the European Council in the wake of the UK referendum?
- Do they think that Michel Barnier is doing a good job as the EU’s chief negotiator?
- How is the UK viewed from the national capitals of the EU27? Is unity likely to hold or will it dissolve when and if the talks move to the UK’s future trading relationship?
UK Regulation after Brexit Report
Our new report ‘UK regulation after Brexit’, takes a first step to mapping the new regulatory settlement in the wake of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
The report explores key findings over twenty-six areas including how UK regulation has changed since the transition period ended on 31 December 2020. It looks at the UK’s readiness to assume regulatory responsibility from the EU, the extent the UK has diverged from EU policy, and the long-term prospects for UK alignment or divergence.
Launch video with:
- Peter Foster, Public Policy Editor, Financial Times
- Professor Catherine Barnard, Deputy Director, UK in a Changing Europe
- Professor Charlotte Burns, University of Sheffield
- Professor Sarah Hall, Senior Fellow, UK in a Changing Europe
- Chaired by Professor Hussein Kassim, Senior Fellow, UK in a Changing Europe
The report is edited by Hussein Kassim, Sean Ennis and Andy Jordan, UEA, and produced jointly by UK in a Changing Europe, the Centre for Competition Policy, and Brexit & Environment.
European correspondents
Austria
- Sonja-Puntscher-Riekmann, Professor of Political Theory and, Director of the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies, Jean Monnet, Centre of Excellence, University of Salzburg
Czech Republic
- Petr Kaniok, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and European Studies, Masaryk University
Denmark
- Jesper Dahl Kelstrup, Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences and Business, University of Roskilde
- Ian Manners, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen
- Mads Dagnis Jensen, Associate Professor, Roskilde School of Government, University of Roskilde
European Commission and European Council
- Hussein Kassim, Professor, School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication, UEA
European Parliament
- Nathalie Brack,Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Université libre de Bruxelles
France
- Christian Lequesne, Professor and Director of the Centre d'études et de recherches internationals, Sciences Po Paris
Germany
- Eva Heidbreder, Professor, Department of Political Science, Otto-von Guericke Universität Magdeburg
Greece
- Calliope Spanou, Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Hungary
- Robert Csehi, Visiting Professor at the School of Public Policy, Central European University
Ireland
- Brigid Laffan, Professor, Director of Robert Schuman, European University Institute
Italy
- Marco Brunazzo, Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento
- Vincent Della Sala, Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento
Lithuania
- Ramūnas Vilpišauskas, Professor and Director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University
Luxembourg
- Anna-Lena Hoegenauer, Research Scientist, University of Luxembourg
Netherlands
- Adriaan Schout, Senior Research Fellow and Coordinator Europe, Netherlands Institute of International Relations, Clingendael
Norway
- Ulf Sverdrup, Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
Poland
- Natasza Styczyńska, Assistant Professor, Centre for European Studies, Jagiellonian University
Spain
- Carlos Closa, Professor, Institute of Politics and Public Goods, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Spanish National Research Council
- Salvador Llaudes, Analyst, the Elcano Royal Institute and Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
- Ignacio Molina, Senior Analyst, the Elcano Royal Institute and Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Sweden
- Mats Braun, Senior Lecturer, Södertörn University, Sweden
UK
- Hussein Kassim, Professor, School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication, UEA
- Simon Usherwood, Reader, University of Surrey