Brexit…or not? Interviews with Jonathan Zeitlin

EU leaders agreed to a short Brexit extension. Almost a million people marched the streets of London for a second vote on Brexit, and 5 million people have signed an online petition to cancel Brexit. Which scenarios are left open? UvA Professor Jonathan Zeitlin, expert on EU governance and closely following Brexit developments, shares his views: “it is clear that the British Parliament does not want the current withdrawal deal, nor a hard Brexit.”

EU leaders agreed that if the British Parliament approves the withdrawal agreement (Theresa May’s deal), the UK will have until 22 May, a day before the European Parliament elections, to complete any technical steps, exit and begin a transition period through December 2020. If May’s deal is rejected again, then the UK will have until 12 April to identify other ways forward. UvA Professor Jonathan Zeitlin shares his views on Brexit developments.

Read the full interview here.

2nd Interview:  Why it is hard to exit the EU

New developments in the Brexit saga move faster than we can write about. Why is it so difficult to exit from the EU? ‘The institutional cooperation among member states within the EU is extremely deep and in many respects unprecedented’, explains our expert Jonathan Zeitlin.

“This single market has now existed for 40 years and after 40 years of membership you are no longer the same sovereign state as you were before. Going back to the situation as it was before the single market, is like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube”, states Zeitlin.

Read the full interview here.

3rd Interview:  Brexit: the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning?

Brexit has been delayed till latest 31 October. Before that date the UK has to find consensus on the way forward. ‘Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?’, wonders Brexit expert Jonathan Zeitlin.

Read the full interview here.