What global role for the EU after Brexit?

When the UK eventually leaves the EU, the EU's role as an actor in the world will change. In this seminar, Professor Mike Smith from the University of Warwick will present his work on the the interplay between Brexit and the EU’s international roles. Professor Mike Smith argues that whatever the outcome of Brexit, the EU and the UK will remain closely entangled in the area of foreign policy. He will focus on the UK's discourse about 'global Britain' and the EU's Global strategy from 2016. By looking at these 'globalist' discourses, Professor Smith will discuss how EU external action will be shaped by Brexit in three different areas, namely trade and development, transatlantic relations and security and defence policy. In the seminar, Professor Smith will argue that whilst the impact of Brexit will be significant, it is likely to be less fundamental than the impact of the challenges faced by the EU in the global arena more broadly. Michael Smith is Honorary Professor in European Politics at the University of Warwick, and Emeritus Professor of European Politics at Loughborough University. He has published extensively on EU external policies and on EU diplomacy. Moderator is Research Professor at NUPI, Pernille Rieker. The event is part of the seminar series Norway meets Europe.