Brexit and the Future of the European Union

The Case for Constitutional Reforms

Federico Fabbrini

Offers the first comprehensive analysis of the proposals to establish a Conference on the Future of Europe and discusses its potential to renew the EU
Puts the question of the future of Europe squarely at the centre of its analysis, focusing on how the Brexit process and its difficulties affect the EU institutions, the EU treaties and the prospects of EU integration
Offers a legally accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date assessment of Brexit and its effect on the EU, examining the latest developments in the process and notably the extension of the withdrawal period
Includes policy recommendations on how Brexit could be used to reform the EU architecture and reconcile different vision of integration
Takes a long-term view of the trends ongoing in Brexit and EU integration, identifying dynamics shaping EU-UK relations, and suggesting ways to reframe them

Brexit and the Future of the European Union

The Case for Constitutional Reforms

Federico Fabbrini

Description

Brexit represents a momentous event for the European Union, with important implications on the future of Europe. While most scholarly attention has focused on the Brexit process and its consequences for the United Kingdom, and UK-EU relations, Brexit has had important consequences also for the EU. This book examines how the EU has changed during Brexit and because of Brexit, while also reflecting on the developments of the EU besides Brexit and beyond Brexit. As the book argues, the UK withdrawal from the EU - the first ever case of disintegration since the start of the European integration process - creates an urgent need to reform the EU. In fact, while the EU institutions and its member states have remained united in their negotiations vis-à-vis the UK, Brexit has created transitional problems for the EU, and exposed other serious fissures in its system of governance which need to be addressed moving forward. As the EU goes through another major crisis in the form of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the case for increasing the effectiveness and the legitimacy of the EU grows stronger. In this context, the book analyses the plan to establish a Conference on the Future of Europe, examines its precedents and discusses its prospects. As the book suggests that, after Brexit, the initiative to launch a Conference on the Future of Europe is a necessary step to renew the EU and relaunch integration.

Brexit and the Future of the European Union

The Case for Constitutional Reforms

Federico Fabbrini

1.:Introduction
2.:The EU during Brexit: the withdrawal negotiations
3.:The EU because of Brexit: transitional institutional issues
4.:The EU besides Brexit: crises governance
5.:The EU after Brexit: constitutional reforms
6.:The EU beyond Brexit: the Conference on the Future of Europe
7.:Conclusion

Brexit and the Future of the European Union

The Case for Constitutional Reforms

Federico Fabbrini

Author Information

Federico Fabbrini, Full Professor of European Law, School of Law & Government of DCU

Federico Fabbrini is Full Professor of European Law at the School of Law & Government of DCU and the Principal of the Brexit Institute. He holds a PhD in Law from the European University Institute and he is a fully qualified attorney in Italy. He previously held academic positions in the Netherlands and Denmark. Federico Fabbrini was awarded in November 2019 the Charlemagne Prize fellowship for research in recognition of his work on the future of Europe.