2. Sovereignty and law

brexit-fact-base-london — Photo by Alexander Supertramp/Shutterstock

UK was sovereign throughout its EU membership
- majority of UK law determined by UK – not by EU
- UK had a strong influence in the EU
- shaped and supported the majority of EU law
  - UK came before CJEU less often than most member states
EU influence is important but limited
- minority of policy areas (or ‘competences’) determined exclusively at EU level
- each member state has right of veto over major decisions
- Lisbon Treaty better enables national parliaments to express views on draft EU legislation
EU recognises it has issues to address and has a reform agenda
In 2014, a UK government review identified areas for EU to improve, such as
- democratic accountability and application of subsidiarity
Cameron renegotiation in 2015 gained a major win: ’UK excluded from closer political union’