Britain and the EU: Difficult Questions

Joint conference by

The Federal Trust
Global Policy Institute
Industry Forum

25th February 2016

The relationship of the United Kingdom with the European Union is entering a new chapter. The UK is seeking a new settlement with its European partners through a process of renegotiation, and will put the result of this process to a public vote, asking in a referendum whether to stay in the European Union or to leave.

This conference examined different aspects of the UK’s relationship with the EU and the impact current developments will have on this relationship.

During the conference the Federal launched two new pamphlets:

Why the EU Referendum Will Not be the End of the Story
by Dr Tim Oliver

The Eurozone: IN and OUT relations
by Graham Bishop

Programme:

Session 1: The political debate: Renegotiation and the EU Referendum

Jackie Minor, Head of Representation, European Commission Representation in the UK
Wayne David, Labour MP for Caerphilly
Neil Carmichael, Conservative MP for Stroud
Sir Stephen Wall, former European adviser to the British Prime Minister

Session 2: The popular debate: Public perceptions of the EU institutions

Baroness Julie Smith, Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge
Timothy Kirkhope, Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber
Dr Tim Oliver, Dahrendorf Fellow on Europe-North America Relations, LSE Ideas
Professor Richard Whitman, Professor of International Relations, University of Kent