Lords inquiry on the Government's EU reform bid hears from academics
Experts in European politics will give evidence to a Lords investigation into the Government's vision for EU reform, on Tuesday 24 November.
The House of Lords EU Committee is holding an inquiry into the Prime Minister's long-term vision for the EU, and assessing how much consensus there is among other players within the UK and across Europe.
Senior academics from Kings College London and the London School of Economics will give evidence on the Government's reform proposals, which were set out in the Prime Minister's recent letter to President of the European Council Donald Tusk, and cover areas such as the balance between eurozone and non-eurozone states, competitiveness, and migration between EU countries.
The witnesses giving evidence are Professor Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, King's College London; Professor Simon Hix, Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics; and Dr Sara Hagemann, Assistant Professor, European Institute, London School of Economics.
Questions that the Committee is likely to put to the witnesses include:
- Do you feel you have a clear understanding of the UK Government's vision for EU reform?
- Are the Government's reform proposals being disproportionately driven by a London agenda?
- Has the Government paid enough attention to the changing geo-political context in developing its vision for EU reform?
- What is your assessment of the public's view of the commitment to an ‘ever closer union among the peoples of Europe'?
- How can non-eurozone countries have their interests safeguarded?
- Do you feel that the UK is already shaping reform across the EU, and if so how is this happening?
- Is the desire to “control migration from the European Union” purely a UK preoccupation or is it a significant challenge for the EU as a whole?
