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Forging Unity: European Commission Leadership in the Brexit Negotiations

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  • Leonard August Schuette

Abstract

This article explains why the European Union has remained strikingly cohesive during the Brexit withdrawal negotiations by focussing on the role played by its negotiator: the European Commission'’s Task Force 50. The analysis demonstrates that the Task Force 50 set out to forge unity among the EU27 by exercising both subtle instrumental and direct political leadership. The Commission significantly influenced the outcome of the negotiations by shaping the agenda and process, brokering deals, and ultimately achieving a withdrawal agreement that all member states signed up to. Its transparent and consultative behaviour generated trust among member states, which allowed the Commission to play such a prominent role. These findings challenge the prevailing view that the EU has become increasingly intergovernmental at expense of the Commission. Drawing on original interviews, the article substantiates this argument by tracing the Commission's leadership activities in the run‐up to and throughout the withdrawal negotiations (2016–20).

Suggested Citation

  • Leonard August Schuette, 2021. "Forging Unity: European Commission Leadership in the Brexit Negotiations," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(5), pages 1142-1159, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jcmkts:v:59:y:2021:i:5:p:1142-1159
    DOI: 10.1111/jcms.13171
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Catherine E. De Vries, 2017. "Benchmarking Brexit: How the British Decision to Leave Shapes EU Public Opinion," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55, pages 38-53, September.
    2. Mads Dagnis Jensen & Jesper Dahl Kelstrup, 2019. "House United, House Divided: Explaining the EU's Unity in the Brexit Negotiations," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(S1), pages 28-39, September.
    3. Christopher J. Bickerton & Dermot Hodson & Uwe Puetter, 2015. "The New Intergovernmentalism: European Integration in the Post-Maastricht Era," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 703-722, July.
    4. Philipp Genschel & Markus Jachtenfuchs, 2018. "From Market Integration to Core State Powers: The Eurozone Crisis, the Refugee Crisis and Integration Theory," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(1), pages 178-196, January.
    5. Brigid Laffan, 2019. "How the EU27 Came to Be," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(S1), pages 13-27, September.
    6. Desmond Dinan, 2016. "Governance and Institutions: A More Political Commission," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54, pages 101-116, September.
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    Cited by:

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    4. Martin, Anne, 2021. "Northern Ireland and European integration: A historical analysis of divergent nationalist discourses," IPE Working Papers 171/2021, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    5. Angelou, Angelos, 2025. "Linking crises: inter-crisis learning and the European Commission’s approach to the National Recovery and Resilience Plans," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 123867, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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