Devolution at national level acknowledges that today’s UK is a construct of formerly discrete entities whose diverse histories and identities are enduringly recognised at an institutional level. Decentralisation within England, by contrast, involves the reorganisation of power within one territory of significant population size (c. 56 million) in order better [...]
In this Federal Trust Briefing, financial expert Graham Bishop argues that three years after leaving the EU, there are no discernible signs of any benefits from Brexit for the UK financial sector. As the City's leaders are recognising with growing alarm, the City’s international standing is slowly sinking. Leadership seems [...]
In this new Federal Trust video, the former European Commission Representative in Belfast and London, Geoff Martin, predicts that the DUP will soon rejoin the Northern Ireland Executive. He argues that the recent Windsor Framework has created the conditions for a new economic and political stability in Northern Ireland. This [...]
The European Union (EU) has earned the title of becoming the world’s first jurisdiction to introduce a regulatory environment specifically for overseeing a market in crypto-assets. Meantime, the UK government is currently drafting legislation on this sector while the US is said to be examining the EU’s new regulation with [...]
In this new essay for the Federal Trust, our Council member and former member of the Welsh Senedd David Melding argues that federal structures are the best way of preserving the constitutional and geographical integrity of the United Kingdom. In a federal UK, powers and responsibilities would be transparently and [...]
In this new Federal Trust Briefing, David Gow describes and analyses the economic consequences of Brexit. These consequences have never been positive and in most sectors have caused varying degrees of damage. There is good reason to believe that this damage will increase rather than decrease in years to come. [...]
The European Union’s (EU) Chips Act was agreed in principle at the end of April 2023 by the EU’s main political bodies. The proposed legislation, described by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, as a “game changer”, commits €43 billion in financial subsidies towards expanding the bloc’s semiconductor industry. [...]
Presentation by Dr Hywel Ceri Jones CMG to mark the 35th anniversary of the official launch of the Erasmus programme[*] Thank you warmly for your invitation as an original founder to participate in this special celebration of the 35th anniversary of the official launch of the Erasmus programme. I look [...]
Following recent protracted post-Brexit negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol (the Protocol), there persists an underlying crisis of mistrust between the United Kingdom government and the European Union. This is in spite of the UK Parliament passing the arduously negotiated Stormont Brake provisions of the UK-EU Windsor Framework on Wednesday, [...]
New EU extra-territorial level playing field rules may adversely impact UK investment in the bloc The European Union (EU) has introduced major new legislation which could have broad implications for extra-territorial jurisdiction over businesses based in any non-EU country including the UK. The Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), which will apply [...]
