Presumably.

Abstract The fracture between citizens and elites on European integration remains understudied, most notably when it comes to specific issues. One of these issues, particularly salient in the aftermath of Brexit, is holding further European Union exit referendums across the Union. While regularly floated by (Eurosceptic) parties for electoral purposes, it remains unclear to what extent parties and citizens agree to actually hold European Union exit referendums. We examine the relationship between party and citizen stances on this issue in 10 European Union member states, leveraging original cross-country survey data and expert survey data on parties’ positions, both collected in 2019. The results show that parties tend to be more against holding a European Union exit referendum than their voters, less so the more extreme parties. Moreover, higher media saliency correlates with greater party–voter congruence, and the issue is more polarised among the electorate than at the party level.

Do parties & voters agree on EU exit referendums? @acgoldberg.bsky.social & @alessandronai.bsky.social examine 10 countries, showing parties are more opposed than voters, with gaps narrowing as issue salience rises. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/eUxRCV1

@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #EuropeanPolitics

A turning point for Hungary? A SSEESing roundtable on the results and implications of the parliamentary elections

Tonight - roundtable @uclssees.bsky.social analysing the results & potential impacts of last week's Hungarian elections, drawing on a range of academic and policy expertise. In person and virtual.

Chaired by @sherrillstroschein.bsky.social of @uclspp.bsky.social

www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

We may be late to celebrate this - but this is still excellent news.

The book can be purchased or downloaded @uclpress.bsky.social:

uclpress.co.uk/book/ucl-at-...

Macron and Starmer to hold summit on plan to secure Strait of Hormuz French and UK leaders are expected to brief Donald Trump after meeting on Friday

"European leaders will work on a three-step plan, according to those involved in preparing Friday’s talks, starting with diplomatic and political co-operation to establish the means required to secure the strait for shipping."

www.ft.com/content/a348...

And so to the question at the @bestforbritain.org event this morning, does the EU want to talk closer relations or UK rejoin. Answer, yes if this is serious, no if not. Would be a lot of sustained effort to make this serious, and that has barely started.

The change of tone from Budapest needs some getting used to after those past 16 years...

'Overall, the study finds that 84 per cent of the public have at least some trust in science, and only 2 per cent don’t trust it at all. But while 34 per cent of the public say they trust science a lot, this figure has fallen from 63 per cent in 2020.' 1/3

Peter Duncan obituary Other lives: Lecturer at UCL who wrote books on Russian politics and advised the House of Commons

Our much missed @uclssees colleague Pete Duncan remembered in The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

New Era for UK-EU Relations? There is a small but growing awareness in London political circles that Brussels sets the terms for UK-EU engagement. From this is coming a slow dawning that a closer relationship allowing the removal

“the UK can choose the broad depth of its chosen relationship, but the EU will shape the exact balance… whether it is a relationship based on a Free Trade Agreement, Customs Union, or Single Market it will be about what fits with the EU approach” - @davidheniguk.bsky.social
ecipe.org/insights/new...

UK and EU finalise agreement to bring UK into Erasmus+ in 2027 Thousands across the UK set to benefit from re-opening of the historic Erasmus+ programme

💥Some much-needed good news! UK finalises participation in Erasmus+ enabling young people from UK and EU states to study, do apprenticeships or make school visits to each others’ countries. Life-enhancing opportunities for the next generation: bravo. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Orban is out but defeating him at the ballot box is not the same as dismantling Orbanism.

The illiberal infrastructure, that is the captured judiciary, the loyalist media landscape, the Fidesz-aligned oligarchs, the constitutional hardball in Basic Law, doesn’t disappear with a concession call

Orban called Magyar to congratulate Magyar - and admitted defeat to his supporters. It's over. Peter Magyar and his Tisza Party wins with such an overwhelming victory that he has two-thirds of the seats in the parliament and can undo Orban's autocratic legalism!

The tension between state sovereignty and human rights remains central - one the EU will continue to navigate in the years ahead.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined and contributed!

Our discussion suggested the Pact does not fundamentally overhaul the European migration system.

We also asked whether the EU may be amplifying illiberal migration policies - such as externalisation or the criminalisation of humanitarian assistance.

Is the EU Migration Pact part of a broader epistemic shift in the EU?

At our 24 March event, “Fortress Europe? The New EU Migration Pact”, we explored its practical impact with Dr Ingrid Boccardi, Dr Marco Perolini, and Sarian Jarosz.

So thrilled we'll be welcoming novelist, playwright, and theatre director Nino Haratischwili this May - among the most acclaimed and widely-read authors of contemporary German literature.

@ucl.ac.uk doctoral students 🔈

The UCL–PSL Doctoral Research Internship deadline has been extended to Monday 13 April. Gain international research experience at PSL with UCL support for Paris accommodation and London–Paris travel.

Don’t miss out — apply now!

IAS Book Launch: The Cambridge Urban History of Europe We are pleased to host the international launch of this three-volume urban history of Europe - from ancient to contemporary times - and to welcome the editors and many of the contributors.

IAS Book Launch: The Cambridge Urban History of Europe
27 March 6:15pm
From pre-historic roots to today, with 100+ essays from experts across disciplines & countries, it provides a contemporary analysis of current issues & sheds new light on often ignored regions.
www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of...

@euinuk.bsky.social @ec.europa.eu #EUUK #EURelations #PublicPolicy #YouthOpportunities #HigherEducation #StudentExchange #InternationalRelations #GlobalGovernance #AcademicEvents #PolicyDialogue

Join us next week for a public conversation with @roxanaminzatu.bsky.social on EU–UK cooperation and the opportunities it creates for young people, student engagement, and international exchange 🤝

📆 26 March, 4:30-5:30pm
📍JZ Young Lecture Theatre, UCL

Register here: www.ucl.ac.uk/european-ins...

@laws.ucl.ac.uk

#RuleOfLaw #PublicPolicy #LegalResearch #AcademicResearch #HigherEducation #GlobalGovernance #HumanRights #LawAndSociety #ComparativeLaw #EUStudies #UKLaw #PolicyResearch #ResearchImpact #Democracy

Thank you to everyone who joined us week as we explored the global rule of law recession 🌍

With thanks to Dr Ana María Montoya, Prof Jeff King, and Dr Claudia Sternberg for an insightful discussion, co-organised with the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism & World Justice Project.

Interested in how EU policy is shaped - and how research can inform it?

Join us tomorrow for a masterclass on public health in the EU

Open to UCL staff & students

Sign up here: www.ucl.ac.uk/european-ins...

#EUPolicy #PublicHealth #ResearchImpact #HealthData

@ucl-global.bsky.social

Sophie Oluwole, the trailblazing Nigerian woman who redefined philosophy Oluwole faced a double challenge: a woman in philosophy and an African, confronting both sexism and Eurocentric bias.

'She did not simply ask for African thinkers to be added to reading lists. She questioned the criteria used to define philosophy. In the process, she challenged a long-standing intellectual hierarchy.'

Here we go again - UK in a changing Europe Anand Menon argues that while the UK government speaks more freely about the economic impact of Brexit and its ambitions for closer ties to the EU, its red lines will limit what it is able to achieve.

Talking about the economic impact of Brexit is one thing. Doing something about is something else entirely. Me for @ukandeu.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/here-we-go-a...

Fortress Europe 2.0? The New EU Migration Pact A student-led policy debate on the European Pact on Migration and Asylum and its practical implications for migrants and the future of European migration governance.

Why does the debate on the new EU Migration Pact matter now?

• It enters into application in July 2026
• It introduces substantial structural changes
• It allows member states to derogate some fundamental rights

Join us on 24 March, 6 - 8pm

Sign up for free: www.ucl.ac.uk/european-ins...

Measuring the Rule of Law in a Fracturing World: Global, UK and European Perspectives This event is co-organised by the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism and the UCL European Institute.

Join us tomorrow at UCL: Dr Ana Maria Montoya (World Justice Project) on the Rule of Law Index 2025 and the global rule of law recession.

Commentary by Prof Jeff King, chaired by Dr Claudia Sternberg.

Sign up for free: www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...

@laws.ucl.ac.uk

Iceland locks in on date for EU referendum | Euractiv As a member of the European Economic Area, Iceland is already aligned with much of the bloc's legislation

And here is the (other) big news of the day - Reykjavik will hold a referendum on 29 August, seeking a mandate to continue its negotiations on EU accession, which had stalled in 2014.

www.euractiv.com/news/iceland...

Trump's decision to bomb Iran is now the greatest windfall to the Russian war effort on record. If it continues, it might save the Russian war economy.