Kirsty Hughes

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Kirsty Hughes

Ph.D, FRSE
EmployerScottish Centre on European Relations
Known foracademic, specialist in the policy and relationship between UK, Scotland and Europe

Kirsty Hughes, Ph.D, FRSE is a political scientist, founder and Director of Scottish Centre on European Relations, [1] and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).

Contents

Research interests and funding issue

Hughes is a Scottish academic and writer, specialising in the relationship between the UK and Scotland, in particular, with Europe. She is regularly consulted as an authority in think tanks, by international governments, non-governmental organisations [1] and media, [2] and was made a Fellow of RSE in 2021. [3]

Hughes was formerly a Senior Fellow in Friends of Europe, Brussels and at the Centre for European Policy Studies and the UK Policy Studies Institute, as well as a Research Fellow at WZB Berlin Social Science Centre and was the Director of the European Programme at the UK's Chatham House. [4]

She has researched and written upon the relationships between the UK, Scotland and the EU. [5] She wrote with others from the Centre on Constitutional Change [6] and was consulted in the press and media on Brexit. [7] [8] [9] and has published research on other issues relating to democracy in Europe. [10] Hughes also studied the impact of the Eurozone crisis and the enlargement of the EU to Eastern and Central European members, [11] and commented regarding Turkey's application to the Union. [4]

During the run up to the 2021 Scottish Parliament Election, Hughes has been invited to comment on Scottish policy in relation to future application to the European Economic Area or the EU, [12] should it gain independence from the UK. [13] [14] [15]

She commented that a misunderstanding of the Ireland-UK common travel area was shown in a statement regarding a future 'hard' border between a potential independent Scotland within the EU and an England outside it, characterised as a 'great wall of Gretna' by Home Office Minister Kevin Foster, MP and called this 'simply scaremongering' and 'hypocrisy'. [16]

On 14 July 2021, Hughes announced that research funding was inadequate to continue operating the independent research centre; a decision considered regrettable and untimely by a spokesperson for the European Movement in Scotland, and by Professor Fergal Cochrane of the Conflict Analysis Research Centre at the University of Kent and others. [17] The former head of the European Commission in Scotland, Graham Blythe, be also remarked that the timing was a concern as 'Scottish/European relations are perhaps even more in focus than before.' [18]

Hughes gave evidence with Professor Murray Pittock, and others, to the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) European Committee investigation into the Scottish Government's international strategy, saying that 'post-Brexit, Scotland had to work harder to gain influence as it no longer had MEPs in Brussels.' and likened it to looking into a room from outside, but also said that this makes 'the case for more focus on Europe (EEA or EU) which remains Scotland's biggest trade partner. EFTA or EU accounts for 'just over 50% of Scotland's trade.' [19] 50% of Scotlands international trade may be with the EU but 65% of all trade is with the rest of the U.K.

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Free Trade Association</span> Regional trade organization and free trade area

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European Union (EU), and all four member states participate in the European Single Market and are part of the Schengen Area. They are not, however, party to the European Union Customs Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Economic Area</span> European free trade zone established in 1994

The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the Agreement on the European Economic Area, an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Association. The EEA links the EU member states and three EFTA states into an internal market governed by the same basic rules. These rules aim to enable free movement of persons, goods, services, and capital within the European single market, including the freedom to choose residence in any country within this area. The EEA was established on 1 January 1994 upon entry into force of the EEA Agreement. The contracting parties are the EU, its member states, and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. New members of EFTA would not automatically become party to the EEA Agreement, as each EFTA State decides on its own whether it applies to be party to the EEA Agreement or not. According to Article 128 of the EEA Agreement, “any European State becoming a member of the Community shall, and the Swiss Confederation or any European State becoming a member of EFTA may, apply to become a party to this Agreement. It shall address its application to the EEA Council.” EFTA does not envisage political integration. It does not issue legislation, nor does it establish a customs union. Schengen is not a part of the EEA Agreement. However, all of the four EFTA States participate in Schengen and Dublin through bilateral agreements. They all apply the provisions of the relevant Acquis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enlargement of the European Union</span> Accession process of new countries to the European Union

The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria, which require a stable democratic government that respects the rule of law, and its corresponding freedoms and institutions. According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement. The process of enlargement is sometimes referred to as European integration. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of co-operation between EU member states as national governments allow for the gradual harmonisation of national laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurostat</span> Statistics agency of the European Union

Eurostat is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statistical information to the institutions of the European Union (EU) and to promote the harmonisation of statistical methods across its member states and candidates for accession as well as EFTA countries. The organisations in the different countries that cooperate with Eurostat are summarised under the concept of the European Statistical System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels Regime</span> Rules regulating jurisdiction of courts

The Brussels Regime is a set of rules regulating which courts have jurisdiction in legal disputes of a civil or commercial nature between individuals resident in different member states of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). It has detailed rules assigning jurisdiction for the dispute to be heard and governs the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norway–European Union relations</span> Bilateral relations

Norway is not a member state of the European Union (EU). However, it is associated with the Union through its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), signed in 1992 and established in 1994. Norway was a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1960, which was originally set up as an alternative to the European Economic Community (EEC), the main predecessor of the EU. Norway had considered joining both the EEC and the European Union, but opted to decline following referendums in 1972 and 1994. According to the European Social Survey conducted in 2018, 73.6% of Norwegians would vote 'No' in a referendum to join the European Union. Norway borders two EU member states, namely Finland and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withdrawal from the European Union</span> Legal process of Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union

Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Member state of the European Union</span> State that is a participant in the treaties of the European Union (EU)

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are party to the EU's founding treaties, and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. They have agreed by the treaties to share their own sovereignty through the institutions of the European Union in certain aspects of government. State governments must agree unanimously in the Council for the union to adopt some policies; for others, collective decisions are made by qualified majority voting. These obligations and sharing of sovereignty within the EU make it unique among international organisations, as it has established its own legal order which by the provisions of the founding treaties is both legally binding and supreme on all the member states. A founding principle of the union is subsidiarity, meaning that decisions are taken collectively if and only if they cannot realistically be taken individually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potential enlargement of the European Union</span> Potential candidates for admission into the European Union

There are eight recognised candidates for membership of the European Union: Turkey, North Macedonia (2005), Montenegro (2010), Serbia (2012), Albania (2014), Moldova (2022), Ukraine (2022), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2022). Kosovo and Georgia formally submitted applications for membership in 2022 and are considered potential candidates by the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 enlargement of the European Union</span> Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the European Union

The 1995 enlargement of the European Union saw Austria, Finland, and Sweden accede to the European Union (EU). This was the EU's fourth enlargement and came into effect on 1 January of that year. It is also known as the EFTAn Enlargement round All these states were previous members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and had traditionally been less interested in joining the EU than other European countries. Norway had negotiated to join alongside the other three but following the signing of the treaty, membership was turned down by the Norwegian electorate in the 1994 national referendum. Switzerland also applied for membership on 26 May 1992, but withdrew it after a negative referendum result on 6 December 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom–European Union relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) are governed, since 1 January 2021, by the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Accession 1972</span> 1972 treaty of Accession to the European Union

The Treaty of Accession 1972 was the international agreement which provided for the accession of Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom to the European Communities. Norway did not ratify the treaty after it was rejected in a referendum held in September 1972. The treaty was ratified by Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom who became EC member states on 1 January 1973 when the treaty entered into force. The treaty remains an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union.

Issues in the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 are the economic, human and political issues that were discussed during the campaign about the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, during the period leading up to the Brexit referendum of 23 June 2016. [Issues that have arisen since then are outside the scope of this article].

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-Brexit United Kingdom relations with the European Union</span> Bilateral relations

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom membership of the European Economic Area</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accession of Moldova to the European Union</span> Ongoing accession process of Moldova to the EU

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Grabbe</span> Political scientist

Heather Grabbe is a European political scientist and activist. She is the director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels, Belgium, since 2009. Since 2021, she is Visiting Professor at University College London and at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Nicola McEwen, FRSE is professor of territorial politics at the University of Edinburgh, co-director of the Centre on Constitutional Change, and senior fellow at the UK in a Changing Europe. She became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2021. She leads research on devolution and inter-institutional relations. She provides advice to governments and public bodies and gives media expert perspectives internationally. McEwen's research and insights are sought for public engagement and political or business briefings during major events like the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, and the Smith Commission, UK BREXIT and recent elections such as to the Scottish Parliament. She has a reputation for being authoritative and trustworthy in engaging with senior politicians, civil service and civic society and has regular media engagements on various topics. McEwen is consulted on aspects such as potential impact on welfare of Scottish independence, or informing parliament on the impact of BREXIT on intra-UK relations and communicating her findings and explanations to public media.

References

  1. 1 2 "Policy Analysis". Scottish Centre on European Relations. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Press Releases". Scottish Centre on European Relations. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "The RSE announces 2021 Fellows". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Team". Scottish Centre on European Relations. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Hughes, Kirsty (January 2016). "Scotland and Brexit - Shockwaves will spread across EU" (PDF). Friends of Europe. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Murphy, Mary C; Keating, Michael; Bell, David; McEwen, Nicola; Kenny, Michael; Larner, Jac; Wincott, Dan; Hughes, Kirsty (2020). BREXIT and the Union. Centre on Constitutional Change. pp. 26–29.
  7. ↑ "The European Parliament, Brexit and Scotland: where do we stand?, Edinburgh - 26 October 2018". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "EU 'open to indy Scotland' but 'reluctant to let UK back in'". STV News. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Dec 14, 2020, Online-Seminar: EU views of the UK and Scotland Post-Brexit". Foundation Office United Kingdom and Ireland. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  10. 1 2 O'Neill, Michael, November 23- (2006). EU constitution. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-134-18337-1. OCLC   1100440908.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. 1 2 Grabbe, Heather (1998). Enlarging the EU eastwards. Kirsty Hughes. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs. ISBN   1-85567-525-0. OCLC   39116587.
  12. ↑ Editor, Kieran Andrews, Scottish Political. "Independent Scotland 'faces four-year fight to rejoin EU'". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 1 May 2021.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "Analysis: Should an independent Scotland join the EEA instead of the European Union?". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  14. ↑ Hughes, Dr Kirsty (26 February 2021). "The UK's European and Constitutional Challenges Collide". The Federal Trust. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Would Scotland have to go to the back of the queue to join the EU?". The National. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  16. ↑ Cochrane, Angus (15 July 2021). "Expert rubbishes Tory minister's 'great wall of Gretna' claim". The National. pp. 6–7.
  17. ↑ Nutt, Kathleen (15 July 2021). "Shock as Scotland's leading think tank on Europe to close". The National.
  18. ↑ Nutt, Kathleen (16 July 2021). "EU official hits out at closure of think tank". The National. p. 6.
  19. ↑ Nutt, Kathleen (28 November 2021). "'Let's drop old nostalgic Scots brand,' says expert". The National. p. 11. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  20. ↑ European competitiveness. Kirsty Hughes, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1993. ISBN   0-521-43443-2. OCLC   26014600.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. ↑ Estrin, Saul; Hughes, Kirsty; Todd, Sarah (1997). Foreign direct investment in central and eastern Europe: multinationals in transition. London, UK: Royal Institute of International Affairs. ISBN   978-1-85567-481-3.
  22. ↑ "European Union Views of the UK post-Brexit and of the Future EU-UK Relationship". Scottish Centre on European Relations. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  23. ↑ "Lessons from the EFTA Enlargement: How Would the EU Accession Process Look Today?". Scottish Centre on European Relations. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  24. ↑ The Oxford handbook of Scottish politics. Michael Keating (1 ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom. 2020. ISBN   978-0-19-186377-6. OCLC   1195716917.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
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