Aaron

New Labour in Europe: Leadership and Lost Opportunities

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Last night, I attended the book launch for  Anita Pollack’s  launch for her latest book on the history of the UK Labour Party in the European Parliament from 1997 to 2010. Richard Corbett MEP and Ernst Stetter from FEPS.   I had the pleasure of working for Anita in the hey days of New Labour … Read more

How to control the European Commission when law making – Delegated legislation – Part 1

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“Who will guard against the Guardians”.  Juvenal. Most EU legislation is delegated legislation. Around 93% (and perhaps more) of EU law adopted each year is delegated legislation. The remaining is ordinary (co-decision) legislation, where most NGOs and trade associations spend most of their time and resources, often with marginal substantive impact. Most NGOs and trade associations … Read more

A Dutch Man Lets in the Sunshine to EU Law Making

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Laws made under the glare of publicity tend to be better laws than those made in secret. For a long time I always thought that “sunshine” requirements to law making were a good thing, and then I moved to Brussels, and found out that I was wrong, or at least I had an unhealthy fetish … Read more