European Institute

May 2013

Much of the public and media discourse on the influence of the EU on the UK is focussed on regulations at the point of implementation This is frequently accompanied with the implied underlying narrative that these regulations have somehow been ‘imposed’, have arrived without any previous discussion and that the UK has taken no part in their passage through the process. The UK is frequently characterised as a ‘victim’ with no control or influence over the direction of policy or its detail. What is most surprising is that after over forty years of membership of the EU, that there is no greater understanding of the EU policy processes and how they are implemented in the UK. Why has this occurred and will some of the current efforts to be more open about negotiations contribute to this debate in the future?