That Other Disruption: Brexit and EU Citizenship, by Willem Maas
By Willem Maas, York University
Another disruption is taking place during the worst pandemic of the century: The Brexit process. Free movement – as a central element of the European project since the beginning – and EU citizenship are both going to be affected by the UK’s departure from the EU. But despite the challenges and uncertainties that the Brexit process entails, there are also several opportunities that flow from how Brexit has uncovered and stimulated increased attachment to the EU and the European project more generally. While Brexit provides one lens for examining transformations of citizenship in Europe, the UK’s absence from decision making processes may deepen integration by bringing the remaining EU member states together.
Read the full expert comment by Willem Maas for the ECSA-C interview series on the “Future of the EU”. Dr. Maas is Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Political Science in Public & International Studies, and Socio-Legal Studies, at York University.
About the author: Willem Maas (PhD Yale), Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Political Science, Public & International Affairs, and Socio-Legal Studies at York University, chaired Glendon Political Science for three and a half years and Glendon Faculty Council for four. Professor Maas co-founded APSA’s Migration and Citizenship section, has held appointments at EUI, Leiden, NYU, and elsewhere, and writes on EU and multilevel citizenship, migration, borders, and politics focusing on Europe and North America.
