Research
After Brexit – the danger of a 'Boris Border'
10 March 2018
The Irish Times
As John Springford of the UK Centre for European Reform wrote recently: “Theresa May must choose two of the following three options: an exit from the single market and customs union, no hard border with Ireland, and an all-UK approach to Brexit.”
BBC Radio 5 live - Drive: Trump and steel tariffs
09 March 2018
Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform spoke to Radio 5 live on the new tariffs President Trump has imposed on steel and aluminium to the US (from 14:15 mins).
Der ausgleichende Faktor wird fehlen
09 March 2018
BPB
Europa dürfte die Briten noch schmerzhaft vermissen, meint der Berliner Ökonom Christian Odendahl. Wichtige Errungenschaften der EU wie der Binnenmarkt und die Osterweiterung gingen direkt auf britische Bemühungen zurück.
Trump is no ally on trade for post-Brexit Britain
09 March 2018
EurActiv
If there were any faint hopes that the deep cultural and commercial ties between the UK and the US would secure a sweetheart free trade deal for the smaller UK after it leaves the European Union, they are now surely dashed.
Exceptional women who inspire Polish community in Britain
09 March 2018
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London
The CER's Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska is one of 18 women chosen by the Polish Embassy for a series of stories about modern Polish women, who through their work and commitment create a positive image of Poland on the British Isles.
May's trilemma
08 March 2018
Financial Times
John Springford, at the Centre for European Reform, helpfully sums up the PM’s headache in the following “trilemma”: the UK can have two of the following, but not all three at the same time:
Europe split on Nord Stream 2 pipeline as US warns against dependence on Russian gas
08 March 2018
Voice of America
Many Eastern European states also question whether the new pipeline will benefit them economically, says Noah Gordon, analyst at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based research group. “There could be bottlenecks through central Europe and Eastern Europe, and those places could see prices rise and they might be more exposed to a Russian political gas cutoff. Ukraine would lose about $2 billion a year in transit fees.”
Jersey holds the key to unlock Brexit dilemma
08 March 2018
EurActiv
Could the Channel Islands hold the key to unlock the Brexit puzzle? Trade expert Sam Lowe of the CER told EURACTIV that Jersey’s ‘strange relationship’ with the EU could be an acceptable ‘halfway house’.
IIEA: Thinking about the EU-27: Expert views from across Europe Q&A session
07 March 2018
Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre of European Reform took part in an IIEA debate on the European reforms that have been proposed by Presidents Juncker and Macron, and to present perspectives on the future of Europe from Poland, Spain and Austria.
Tusk says deal with UK will make trade harder
07 March 2018
Bloomberg
“It’s the standard offer in any EU trade agreement,” says Sam Lowe, a research fellow on trade issues at the Centre for European Reform. “They love zero tariffs in goods, because they sell a lot of cars.”
Brexit in an age of Trump and Putin
07 March 2018
Financial Times
Ian Bond of the Centre for European Reform thinks this is a powerful argument. He tells me: “The European Commission is very good at targeting its retaliation on trade and looking at ways it can exercise the maximum leverage. Britain doesn’t yet have any of the technical capability to draw up such a retaliatory list.”
Headmaster Donald Tusk schools Theresa May over single market access - and tells her to end 'cherry-picking' approach
07 March 2018
The Telegraph
In essence, said Sam Lowe, the trade expect at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, the EU is offering the UK a Canada-style free trade agreement (CETA), but with some additional add-ons: a so-called “CETA+++”.
Tusk talks tough on Brexit despite British pleas for good deal
07 March 2018
The National
Observers of the negotiations said the EU had maintained a unified position with some flexibility for London to build on in the talks. “European Council guidelines on FTA coherent and generally sensible, given UK red lines,” wrote Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform.
As one EU headache subsides in Germany, another starts in Italy
06 March 2018
The Guardian
Germany and France may choose to push ahead without Italy’s support, or they may decide the new environment makes that untenable. “An unstable, Eurosceptic Italy could well put the brakes on Franco-German plans,” said Charles Grant, co-founder of think-tank the Centre for European Reform.
Germany should finally take the lead in Europe
06 March 2018
Handelsblatt
Now she has won a fourth term, Chancellor Merkel should put little-Germany thinking behind her and be the leader that Europe needs.
Why Germany must spend more on defence
06 March 2018
CNN
Now that Germany has a new government, investing in defense and the transatlantic relationship has to be a priority for Angela Merkel.
Who is Sergei Skripal? Russian convicted of spying found unconscious on mall bench
05 March 2018
Newsweek
“Very worrying news that Sergei Skripal, Russian imprisoned for spying for UK & swapped in 2010 as part of 'Anna Chapman' exchange, seems to have been poisoned in Salisbury. Another example of Russian intel treating UK as a free fire zone?” Ian Bond director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform tweeted on Monday.
Italy's populist parties locked in battle to form new government after inconclusive vote in landmark election
05 March 2018
The Telegraph
"The likeliest outcome remains a president's government of national unity to govern for six months to a year while the politicians gear up for a new election," said Luigi Scazzieri, the Italian specialist at the Centre for European Reform think-tank.
The end of little Germany?
05 March 2018
Project Syndicate
Now that a new government has finally been formed, Germany must start thinking of itself as the major economic player it is, and behave accordingly.
The Italian election has shattered any illusion that Europe's populists are in retreat
05 March 2018
The Telegraph
In the wake of Emmanuel Macron’s victory in France, many argued that anti-establishment parties in Europe were on a downward trajectory. Italy's election has shattered that illusion.