The EU's Response to Brexit

“Finally a book that examines the EU side of the Brexit story. Based on an original argument and interviews with policy-makers, Laffan and Telle explain how the EU managed to be united and successful in the negotiations with the UK.” 

—Frank Schimmelfennig, Professor of European Politics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland



"This entertaining, persuasive and well-researched account of how the EU approached and conducted the Brexit negotiations is likely to be the definitive work on the subject."

—Bobby McDonagh, Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom (2009–2013)




Laffan and Telle’s book is both a definitive statement on Brexit-EU relations and a clear-sighted investigation of how the EU may cope with future tests, ranging from climate change to Ukraine enlargement. 
—Liesbet Hooghe, Professor of Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill​, USAThis book is the first detailed analysis of how the EU responded to Brexit. It is an important reference point for future studies of the Brexit negotiations. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with key institutional players in Brussels and in several member states to document how the EU handled the first-ever exit of one of its members. The Brexit shock came at a time when the EU had barely recovered from the Euro crisis and was struggling to manage an unprecedented inflow of refugees. The immediate fear was that Brexit might be the final straw that broke the camel ’s back. 
Eurosceptics were jubilant, and Europhiles were distraught. In reality, the EU reacted to Brexit with resolve and a determination to protect the polity. The book argues that getting the process right was crucial. The EU mobilised its collective capacity to negotiate effectively and with one voice.

Brigid Laffan is Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy. Until her retirement in August 2021, Prof. Laffan was Director and Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.

Stefan Telle worked as Research Associate in the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, Italy.