Whether policymakers in Brussels and across European capitals like it or not: after the UK formally withdraws, the remaining EU member states will need to change the EU treaties and other quasi-constitutional EU laws. They will have to adopt key legal acts – such as a new decision on the allocation of the seats in the European Parliament and new rules on the funding of the EU – to account for a new Union at 27 member states. In sum, Brexit opens a window of opportunity for a broader constitutional reform that could be exploited to improve the architecture of the EU.
The spotlight is part of larger research project between the Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Jacques Delors Institut – Berlin. To find out more about our work on the future of the euro area, please visit our website at www.strengthentheeuro.eu.