- Date&Time
Monday, March 27, 2017/ 1:30-2:40pm - Venue
Meeting room, Level 4, Building 26, Waseda Campus - Lecturer
Hartmut Mayer (St. Peter’s College, University of Oxford) - Language
English (No simultaneous translation)
Summary of the seminar
This seminar addressed the issue of the UK’s exit from the EU, which is an important and timely topic. The event attracted not only Waseda students and faculty members, but also academics from other universities, journalists, and the general public.
Dr. Hartmut Mayer’s lecture consisted of two parts. In the first part of the speech, he analyzed the Brexit issue from the perspective of British domestic politics. He explained why the British government decided to hold the referendum on EU membership, and identified key factors which determined the referendum result. Then, he pointed out that the post-Brexit negotiation between the EU and the UK is likely to be very tough because their positions are incompatible in many aspects.
In the second part, Dr. Mayer analyzed potential interactions between the EU-UK negotiations on the one hand, and forthcoming elections in France and Germany on the other hand. In France, there is a possibility that a far-right political party wins the presidential election and pursues the French exit from the EU. In Germany, the composition of the current coalition government may change as a result of the general election, but non-mainstream political parties are unlikely to dominate the parliament. Despite this difference, the elections in both countries would have a huge impact on the EU’s future as well as the relationship between the EU and the UK.
In the Q&A session, many interesting questions were raised by the audience. For example, one participant asked a question about the UK’s negotiation power vis-à-vis the EU, whereas another person asked a question about the implications of Dutch and Italian elections for populist movements in Europe. There was also a question on the possibility of a second British referendum on EU membership. Dr. Mayer engaged with each question and gave comprehensive answers. Overall, the seminar provided the audience with a valuable opportunity to learn about British politics, the EU-UK relationship, and the future of European integration.
