Faculty Members Involved in European Debate and Policy

Members of the Faculty of Law continue to be heavily involved at all levels of debate surrounding the issues of membership and the future of the European Union. Research and opinion generated at the Faculty informs public debate, academic research, and government policy.

On Thursday 29 May, Professor Catherine Barnard (a previous Director of the Centre for European Legal Studies (CELS)) will address a conference by The Continental Drift at the London School of Economics, entitled 'In or Out? How an EU Referendum Could Affect Your Business'.

The conference seeks to unpack the consequences of both choices in a possible referendum, and then consider how they could affect businesses around Europe. Professor Barnard will be contributing to a panel discussing 'What could 'in' look like? The future of the EU in the context of the Eurozone crisis and the emergence of a 'two tier' union'.

In the question of Scottish Independence, as reported previously, current Director of CELS Professor Kenneth Armstrong has advised both the Scottish Affairs Committee (UK Parliament) and the European and External Relations Committee (Scottish Parliament) in relation to the European consequences of Scottish independence.

Both of these Committees have now published their reports, in which they draw heavily on Professor Armstrong's views:

• House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee - The Referendum on Separation for Scotland: Scotland’s Membership of the EU,  Twelfth Report of Session 2013–14
• The Scottish Parliament - European and External Relations Committee 2nd Report, 2014 (Session 4) Report on the Scottish Government's proposals for an independent Scotland: membership of the European Union