Research
EU-UK relations: Towards a post-election agenda
01 July 2024
Britain’s next government needs a coherent strategy towards the EU, ranging from trade and regulation to energy, foreign policy and defence.
Between competition and co-operation: How to engage with China on climate
27 June 2024
How should the EU engage with China on climate? European policy-makers need to use both competition and co-operation to advance on climate action.
Will Hungary's presidency rock the EU?
25 June 2024
The Hungarian presidency will have limited impact on EU policies – but the hit to the Union’s reputation could be significant.
Why cities must drive growth in the EU's single market
20 June 2024
By integrating European services markets and investing in cities with high potential, the EU can raise its anemic growth rate and spread economic activity beyond successful metropolises.
What will the EU election results mean for Europe?
11 June 2024
The populist right and far right will not dominate the new European Parliament. But the election results will influence the EU’s agenda and legislation over the next five years.
China and the West: The gap is set to grow
05 June 2024
China’s relations with the US and the EU are likely to worsen, because of both its aid for Russia and its economic strategy.
Is the Spitzenkandidat process a waste of time?
03 June 2024
The Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) process has not fulfilled its promise of engaging the average voter. Still, it has helped ‘europeanise’ the European Parliament elections and is worth persisting with.
Big tech rivalry could be the key to competition in AI
30 May 2024
Competition authorities might need to accept that today’s large technology firms will play a key role in artificial intelligence. They need to focus on ensuring they compete fiercely – rather than peacefully co-exist.
Delivering the goods: An EU trade agenda for the next UK government
28 May 2024
The Labour Party’s red lines will restrict its ambitions for changing the EU-UK relationship, but if it forms a government it should push Brussels for concessions, particularly on trade in goods.
The new migration and asylum pact: Smoke and mirrors?
23 May 2024
The EU’s new asylum rules are unlikely to make the current system more humane and effective, or less controversial. The EU should rethink its approach to co-operation with third countries.
Articles
Judy Asks: Will enlargement spur EU reform?
27 June 2024
Carnegie Europe
Enlargement might spur EU reform, but I won’t hold my breath for more than minor changes.
Has the EU turned to the right?
21 June 2024
British Foreign Policy Group
For the first time, the European Parliament elections have taken place without the United Kingdom. From 6th– 9th June, citizens from across the EU went to the polls. But what is next for the bloc – and what do these results mean?
Germany’s defense engagement in the Indo-Pacific is a balancing act
15 June 2024
The Diplomat
Like the 2021 edition, Germany’s 2024 Indo-Pacific Deployment will signal Berlin’s commitment to the region – and the limits of its presence.
Can the EU hold back the great tech decoupling?
10 June 2024
Encompass
The US has been far more aggressive than the EU in constraining China. US leaders talk about having a “small yard with a high fence” with restrictions on trade and investment only in areas sensitive to national security.
Europe tilts right
10 June 2024
Ekathimerini
The votes are still being counted, but the European Parliament election results point to a surge of support for right-wing and far-right parties.
Chinese exports threaten Europe even more than the US
07 June 2024
Politico
Biden is right to heed working class voters in Pennsylvania. The Continent, which has even more to lose from a second China shock, better start listening to its workers too.
Press
Orbán vil "køre sit show" i spidsen for EU, men hvor meget skade kan han gøre?
02 July 2024
Altinget
”Hans slogan sætter virkelig tonen for, hvad resten af EU kan forvente i den kommende tid. Der vil komme mange af den type provokationer,” siger den ungarske forsker Zselyke Csaky, der er ekspert i europæisk politik ved Centre for European Reform (CER).
Législatives 2024 : à Bruxelles, la France donne des sueurs froides
01 July 2024
Le Parisien
“L’Allemagne et la France sont les deux pays indispensables au sein de l’Union. Sans l’un ou l’autre, aucune initiative européenne ne pourrait émerger, résume Sander Tordoir, chercheur néerlandais du groupe de réflexion Centre for European Reform. Le risque est de saper la capacité de l’UE à renforcer son indépendance énergétique, sa sécurité économique vis-à-vis de la Chine, et sa défense face à la Russie - autant de sujets où la coopération entre pays européen est primordiale”.
BBC Radio 4 - The World Tonight: French centrists and Left strike deals to squeeze out National Rally
01 July 2024
Charles Grant spoke to 'The World Tonight' and explained the impact a far-right French government would have on the EU.
Trump’s top fan in Europe grasps a political megaphone with EU Presidency
01 July 2024
The Wall Street Journal
After recent European elections, “there may be more governments that are perhaps a little bit more friendly, or a little bit more aligned with the Hungarian government,” said Zselyke Csaky, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think tank. If that is the case, she said, the question may no longer be about which policies Hungary is blocking, but the impact a broader political shift would ultimately have on European decision-making.
La 'oveja negra' se hace con las riendas del club: inquietud en la UE por la presidencia de Orbán
01 July 2024
El Espanol
"Aunque los poderes de la presidencia sean limitados, eso no significa que Hungría no pueda causar daño mientras ejerce este papel. Ya es bastante perjudicial que la UE esté representada por un país que ha socavado la democracia interna y que quiere tomar el control de Bruselas para promover su agenda antidemocrática. Si además Hungría intenta aprovechar la oportunidad que le brinda la presidencia para impulsar sus puntos de vista, podría crear confusión diplomática o incluso caos en el peor de los casos", relata a EL ESPAÑOL Zselyke Csaky, investigadora del Centre for European Reform.
With ‘Make Europe Great Again,’ Hungary taunts allies, touts hard right
01 July 2024
The Washington Post
“The biggest challenge over the next six months will be to separate noise from actual impact,” said Zselyke Csaky, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank, “because I expect a lot of noise.”
What are Labour’s options for boosting trade with Europe?
30 June 2024
Financial Times
John Springford, a trade economist at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said a £2bn uplift would be “a nice to have” but still relatively meagre when set against total UK exports to the EU of more than £150bn a year.
Why don’t our leaders want to talk about Brexit?
22 June 2024
The Times
The Trade and Co-operation Agreement, signed on December 30, 2020, which governs UK-EU trade relations, is due to be revisited in 2025 but even Charles Grant, the Europhile head of the Centre for European Reform, says it will be “very difficult” to make progress.
‘It will be a very big moment’: can Labour revisit Brexit – and heal bitter divisions with Europe?
23 June 2024
The Observer
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, who talks to European governments regularly, says the EU will extract its price for rebuilding links beyond security and defence cooperation. “EU leaders will tell him [Starmer] that if he wants things out of the EU – such as a deal on veterinary standards to reduce border checks on food, animals and plants – he will have to accept some of their asks. For example, the EU wants a deal on youth mobility, to make it easier for young people in the EU and the UK to spend more time on the other side of the Channel.
Defence commissioner role needs industrial policy focus - analysts
21 June 2024
Euronews
Christina Kessler, an analyst at the Centre for European Reform (CER), agrees that a defence industry commissioner would be appropriate in the next mandate, "not just because there is obviously work to be done in this area, but also because it would signal that the EU is taking this seriously and is willing to step up its game".
Podcasts
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: What would a Labour government mean for Europe?
26 June 2024
Aslak Berg, Ian Bond and Luigi Scazzieri discuss the UK election.
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: Winners, losers and implications of the European elections
12 June 2024
Christina Keßler, Luigi Scazzieri and Zselyke Csaky discuss the European election results.
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: What to expect from a more right-wing European Parliament
29 May 2024
Christina Keßler, Zselyke Csaky and Luigi Scazzieri discuss the European Parliament elections.
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: How is China's foreign policy shifting?
15 May 2024
Charles Grant and Dr Yu Jie discuss China's foreign policy.
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: Evaluating Enrico Letta’s report on the single market
24 April 2024
Aslak Berg and Zach Meyers discuss Enrico Letta's report.
Events
CER/Clifford Chance hybrid discussion on 'Challenges, opportunities, regulation: The European approach to AI'
27 June 2024
Hybrid Brussels
With Rachel Bae, Dessislava Savova and Werner Stengg
CER/Carnegie Europe hybrid discussion on 'The end of the near abroad' with Anna Matveeva and Thomas de Waal
03 July 2024
Hybrid London
Please email [email protected] for further information, including how to register.
CER/Bertelsmann Stiftung hybrid launch of 'Why cities must drive growth in the EU's single market'
20 June 2024
Hybrid Brussels/Zoom
With Cinzia Alcidi, Peter Berkowitz, Lucas Resende Carvalho, John Springford, Frederik Toscani and Chiara Venturini
CER/Kreab breakfast on 'What will it take for the EU's capital markets union to finally take off?'
11 June 2024
Brussels
With John Berrigan, Director-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services & Capital Markets Union, European Commission
CER/HSF hybrid discussion on 'Why do the European Parliament elections matter?'
16 May 2024
Hybrid London/Zoom
With Eli Gateva, Catherine Fieschi, Tom Nuttall, Anja Richter, Nathalie Tocci and Klaus Welle