Camino Mortera-Martinez — Wonk of the Week

In this new Playbook feature we'll shine a spotlight each Thursday on an author posting interesting content on thewonk.eu. Based in Brussels, Camino Mortera-Martinez works for the Centre for European Reform.

What are you working on? Brexit, Brexit, Brexit, (pauses for air), Brexit. In between shocking election announcements, White Papers and Article 50 letters, I sometimes do find the time to work on my true passion which is, oddly enough, EU Justice and Home Affairs. That's everything from migration to terrorism to freedom of movement. Right now, I have found a way to marry the two and am researching the impact of Brexit on EU JHA matters (from the European Arrest Warrant to the Schengen Information System and all the ensuing jolly mess).

Why does it matter? You know, the European project going down in flames and all that. And, by now, most people would also understand why EU Justice and Home Affairs are important: failures in EU migration and security policies threaten to bring down the EU project as much as Brexit does (and contributed largely to it). Funnily enough, if you told people some years ago that you were passionate about EU JHA, they either thought you were a looney; or someone really, really bored.

Name three people you most want to read your work? Theresa May or any British politician with the faintest responsibility in Brexit talks; anyone who ever voted for Nigel Farage, Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders or Donald Trump; and, most importantly, my family, who think what I do is either very obscure or very boring.