Archive
Year: 2016
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Brexit and Energy and Climate policy: same market, less power?
January 11, 2016
For Brits with an interest in public policy and the UK’s place in the world, 2016 will inevitably be overshadowed by the forthcoming referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU. Whilst the political debate in the UK is currently dominated by issues of migration and benefits, it’s worth taking a step back and considering the potential impact of a ‘Brexit’ in specific industry and policy areas, beyond the wider issue of the UK’s access...
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A Don Quixote Quest for European taxation?
January 8, 2016
Since 1 January 2016, the last piece of the reshuffling of the senior positions of the European Commission, announced in June 2015, is in place, as Stephen Quest has become Director-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD). Corporate taxation is likely to be the main focus of DG TAXUD in the coming years. International actions on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) outlined by the OECD in October 2015 will be implemented at...
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Can industry really expect to have conversations with EU policymakers on Twitter?
January 7, 2016
“Engagement,” or two-way conversation with policymakers on Twitter is often cited as a key objective by industry players who use the channel as part of their public affairs strategy. But relying on engagement as the only measure of success is typically a losing proposition. Do policymakers really want to have a public conversation? My answer to that question, based on entirely anecdotal evidence gathered over the last 12 months devising and implementing Twitter efforts on behalf of...
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Will Front National be the new benchmark of French politics and the new flood mark for the EU?
January 4, 2016
2016 will be an intense year in Brussels, with a number of initiatives launched by the Juncker Commission embodied in legislative proposals. One of the EU founding members however is under the influence of a different agenda: in less than 18 months, presidential and general elections will be held in France, and the results of the regional elections of last December show the growing success of the Front National (FN) among the French citizens. Could...