The International Relations & European Politics (IREP) postgraduate research group, and the Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies (PoLIS) are running two back-to-back Brexit-themed events, marking two years since Article 50 was triggered by the UK.
The first session Successfully lobbying the EU and introducing the free interrail project will host Vincent-Immanuel Herr and Martin Speer as part of their trans-European How are you Europe? tour. With the aim of reconnecting young people with the European project and making freedom of movement a right, rather than a privilege, they successfully lobbied the EU institutions to secure the provision of a one-month European interrail pass for as many Europeans as possible upon their 18th birthday.
Vincent-Immanuel and Martin consider the experience of European travel, encompassing an intercultural exchange between peoples, an antidote to Euroscepticism and the rise of destabilising populist forces throughout the EU. During the first half of the session, chaired by Head of PoLIS Dr Nicholas Startin, the speakers will describe their ambitious project and how it was practically realised. Following this, Dr Maria Garcia will briefly respond to their presentation before the remainder of the session is dedicated to interactive Q&A with the audience.
The second session entitled So if it's Brexit day... What now? Assessing the Brexit negotiations and their implications for UK-EU relations, will focus on the latest developments in the Brexit process. Two years of negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU have informed a deal which the UK parliament has so far rejected. The UK is running out of time. The cliff-edge date has been extended from 29 March to 12 April (Brexit day), but no deal remains the default outcome. Securing a short delay (until 22 May) would necessitate the UK finalising the existing deal, while a long delay would require concrete indications from the UK side that they will negotiate an alternative future relationship with the EU.
Providing their cutting-edge insights into the situation, a comprehensive panel of experts will seek to analyse the implications of Brexit and how the future relationship between the UK and the EU might develop. Firstly, Dr Maria Garcia will reflect upon the current state of the (UK-EU) negotiations and their implications for the future international trade relations of the UK and the EU (10 minutes).
Thereafter, Dr Nicholas Startin will address the political implications of the negotiations for the UK and the EU (including the UK domestic context), before our guests, Vincent-Immanuel Herr and Martin Speer discuss the impact of Brexit for European civil society (10 minutes). The event will then be opened up to the audience for a lively Q&A session with the panel.
The events will be followed by a drinks reception.
Speaker profiles
Vincent-Immanuel Herr and Martin Speer attracted global media coverage in their successful campaign to secure the provision of a one-month European interrail pass for as many Europeans as possible upon their 18th birthday. They are visiting the University of Bath as part of their How are you Europe? tour.
Dr Nicholas Startin is Head of the Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies. He is Chair of the Academic Association of Contemporary European Studies (UACES), a regular commentator in regional and national media, and his most recent work includes being a co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism.
Dr Maria Garcia is a Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy in PoLIS. She is Secretary of UACES and her most recent work includes being a co-editor of the Routledge Handbook on the EU and International Trade.
Accessibility
This venue has lift access.