About: Referendum

UKIP MEP: Vote me out of my job

UK Independence Party MEP Patrick O’Flynn is a poacher-turned-gamekeeper, a former political journalist for the Daily Express, turned MEP for UKIP.

Greek migration minister: Austria will soon recognise its ‘enormous’ mistake

Austria will come to realise that its behaviour during the refugee crisis has been an enormous mistake, Greek Minister of Immigration Policy Ioannis Mouzalas said in an exclusive interview with EURACTIV Greece.

Diplomat: Dutch presidency will promote economic and environmental cooperation

The rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU fell to the Netherlands at the beginning of January 2016. EURACTIV France spoke to Ed Kronenbug, the Dutch envoy to France, about the EU's top priorities over the next six months. 

BBC’s Dimbleby: British are woefully underinformed about the EU

The BBC World Service is launching a new series of debates, called World Questions, with the first episode being recorded at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. EURACTIV interviewed veteran BBC presenter Jonathan Dimbleby ahead of the show, for his view on Britain, the BBC and the EU referendum.

Smith: ‘A Brexit would reopen the question of Scottish independence’

Alyn Smith warns that a Brexit could lead Scotland to leave the United Kingdom.  According to the MEP, an exit from the EU should only be considered if backed by a majority in all four nations of the UK.

German AfD candidate: ‘The EU is upside down’

A new decision-making structure, less EU level competences, and Latin as the official language in Brussels are just some improvements Beatrix von Storch says would help turn the EU right-side up.

Finnish minister: EU membership has given Finland a voice that is louder than ever before

Finland has benefitted "tremendously" from joining the EU, where it continues to play a constructive and active role, says Alexander Stubb on the 20th anniversary of the Finnish EU membership referendum.

Eurosceptic MP: Britain is the ‘piggy in the middle’

The argument that the UK is a bridge between the US and Europe no longer applies, according to leading UK Conservative MP Dominic Raab. Instead, he says, the UK has become a 'piggy in the middle' between the US and Europe, and its power will continue to erode as Europe federalises.

British campaigner: UK can work with Germany

David Cameron should attempt to avoid table-banging and demand the unlimited repatriation of powers from Europe in a forthcoming speech, according to the head of a new cross-party organisation launched this year. Whatever the British prime minister says, however, the UK is gearing up for a campaign on some form of referendum on its relationship with Europe, Peter Wilding tells EURACTIV.

British MP: The ‘black hole’ of European unity

European integration has led to the current financial crisis and proposed solutions, such as strengthened eurozone economic governance, are likely to lead to excessive German influence and further constraints on businesses, British MP Bill Cash said in an interview with EURACTIV. He argues that the only way to restore democracy and competitiveness in the United Kingdom is to withdraw from the EU through a referendum and revert to a looser European free-trade area.

Opposition leader: Turkish democracy is in danger

The new Turkish constitution will put the judiciary in the hands of the government ahead of national elections, Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition force in Turkey, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Grassroots leader: Turkish citizens want visa-free EU travel

Turkish citizens derive much stress and frustration from the fact that they can only visit the EU with a visa, which is difficult to obtain and applications are sometimes refused, Murat Dinç, a local youth leader for Turkey's main opposition party CHP, told EURACTIV in an interview.

Ambassador: ‘Turkey punished over Cyprus’

Preemptive vetoes against Turkey's EU accession stemming from regional tensions are unjust and its readiness to join the bloc should be based the country's capacity to fulfil the requirements of the 'acquis communautaire', Turkish Ambassador to Germany Ahmet Acet told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.

Ambassador: Swiss headed for ‘risky’ EU poll

Switzerland will vote on Sunday (8 February) to decide whether to allow Bulgarian and Romanian citizens to work freely in the country. However, the Alpine state risks putting itself in a "difficult" situation vis-à-vis the EU in the event of a negative outcome, the country's ambassador to the EU, Jacques de Watteville, told EURACTIV in an interview.

Jouyet: Irish to decide ‘if and when’ to hold second EU Treaty vote

Arranging a second popular vote on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland ahead of the European Parliament elections in June 2009 will be difficult, according to French State Secretary for EU Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet, speaking during an interview with EURACTIV France on the occasion of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Ireland on 21 July.

Former Irish PM: ‘No’ vote would be ‘disastrous’

In a wide-ranging interview, former Irish Taoiseach and current think-tank president Garret Fitzgerald spoke to EURACTIV about the referendum campaign, the potential consequences of an Irish 'no' vote on the Lisbon Treaty and the advantages of the text for both Ireland and other small member states of the EU.

MEP Duff in uphill battle to save Constitution

Interview: To win new referenda on a modified Constitution the EU needs to engage national parties and the wider public much more, explains Liberal MEP Andrew Duff to EURACTIV.