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Responses to Brexit: Elite perceptions in Germany, France, Poland and Ireland 

While the British government struggles to find the best path to Brexit, the position of other countries in the EU will be key to determining the fate of whatever path is chosen. Having an exclusive focus on the negotiations in Brussels between the UK government and the Commission risks missing important pressures that are playing behind the scenes. Researchers at the Sussex European Institute conducted studies of elites in four states during the summer of 2017 to try to gauge the responses to the first phase of Brexit. The focus was on elites, on parliamentarians, commentators and think tanks as we sought to chart how Brexit was being received.  Based on a series of interviews and discussions in Berlin, Paris, Warsaw, London and Dublin, as well documentary sources, it is clear that during the first phase of Brexit there has been a strong and shared emphasis on EU unity among the EU27.  This research paper reports initial findings.