Research
NATO at 75: Strong but brittle?
15 July 2024
NATO’s 75th anniversary summit sought to project unity and strength, but large challenges simmer under the surface.
Navigating the storm? The EU, the UK and Trump 2.0
10 July 2024
A second Trump presidency would lead to extensive transatlantic turbulence. The UK and its European partners would need to be pragmatic in finding new ways of working together.
An open letter to Keir Starmer: Ten suggestions on how to foster better relations with Europe
08 July 2024
In an open letter to Keir Starmer, Charles Grant offers ten suggestions on how the Labour government can improve the UK-EU relationship.
Should the UK pursue dynamic alignment with the EU?
04 July 2024
The EU’s neighbours follow various models of dynamic alignment with its rules. Which model, if any, could suit the UK?
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.
Articles
Reino Unido-UE: hacia un alineamiento
06 July 2024
La Razon
El próximo gobierno británico necesita una estrategia coherente hacia la UE, que abarque desde el comercio y la regulación hasta la energía, la política exterior y la defensa.
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.
Press
Radicals v incrementalists: Labour’s new dividing line over Europe
14 July 2024
The Sunday Times
One advantage of a security deal would be that it would provide a permanent forum where the UK can interact with the EU on foreign policy. “We’d be able to take part in structured chit-chat on a regular basis,” said Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform.
Starmer to host EU leaders’ summit delayed by Sunak
13 July 2024
Financial Times
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for Keir Starmer,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, a UK think-tank. “He’ll have a lot of European leaders in a room. The timing could not have been more fortuitous.” British officials say Starmer will use the Blenheim Palace event to set out his hopes for improved UK-EU relations, even if, as Grant notes, there is a “slight niggling worry that he doesn’t know what he wants to do”.
What does Labour’s win mean for British foreign policy?
09 July 2024
The Economist
The problems will come over issues such as supply chains and energy, which risk brushing up against the single market, says Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank.
EU’s demand for more under-30s migration would be ‘very like free movement’
08 July 2024
iNews
Charles Grant, director of the respected Centre for European Reform, suggested that the Prime Minister may nevertheless have to negotiate on youth mobility to achieve his aim to make trade easier, including by signing a veterinary agreement on food imports and exports.Grant said some in the EU would respond to Starmer’s demands on trade by saying there can be “no cherry picking” of its single market.
UK election analysis: A fragile landslide
05 July 2024
Euronews
“It is a shocking result, and I can't recall anything so similar in British history that one party does so well in terms of seats having not won very many votes,” Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, told Euronews.
Labour's majority is built on very shallow foundations as a result, according to Grant and “can easily be washed away by the next storm that hits the UK”.
Labour's majority is built on very shallow foundations as a result, according to Grant and “can easily be washed away by the next storm that hits the UK”.
How Labour can fix the UK’s tech industry
05 July 2024
Wired
If Labour dropped the immigration health surcharge—a levy of around £1,000 ($1,276) annually for workers—it would make it much more attractive for skilled people to come to the UK, says Zach Meyers, assistant director for the Centre for European Reform. “The immigration surcharge is kind of insane, because it’s basically like a tax on their migrants. And that is a single step that would, I think, go a long way to addressing the skills problem.”
Labour may find a trade deal with Trump easier than getting anything from the EU
05 July 2024
The Telegraph
“Germany is desperately looking for friends. The National Rally is a Germanophobic party, and [Jean-Luc] Mélenchon on the Left has a history of anti-German outbursts,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.“But if you go behind the door of the EU and try to do bilateral deals, it always backfires. The Commission is too powerful to ignore,” he said.
Debakl: Konzervativci ve volbách utrpěli nejhorší porážku v historii. Vrátí se Británie do EU?
05 July 2024
Hospodářské Noviny
Během vlády labouristů tak nejspíš nastane určité sblížení, například podpis veterinární dohody, která by usnadnila vývoz a dovoz potravin na britské ostrovy. „Dá se čekat určitý pokrok, ale nikoliv zásadní změna ve vzájemném vztahu,“ shrnul to Aslak Berg z think-tanku Centre for European Reform.
How could a Labour-led government change the UK's migration policies?
03 July 2024
Euronews
"France has an interest in fighting, migration, crime, but it doesn't really have an interest in stopping migrants leaving France and travelling to the UK," Ian Bond of the Centre of European Reform, said. "I suspect that that may be even more of a problem if France does get a more right-wing government after the second round of the elections."
Concerns grow at impact on EU of Hungarian Presidency
03 July 2024
EU Reporter
Concern is voiced by Zselyke Csaky, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, a leading think-tank. Csaky said, “The Hungarian presidency will have limited impact on EU policies – but the hit to the Union’s reputation could be significant. “The Council of the EU’s rotating presidency is often described as ‘responsibility without power’. Whichever member-state is at the helm drives the EU’s legislative agenda and represents the Council in negotiations with the EU’s other law-making institutions.
Podcasts
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: What's happening in France and what it means for Europe
12 July 2024
Charles Grant and Sophie Pedder discuss the French elections.
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: What the Labour landslide means for UK-EU relations
10 July 2024
Charles Grant and Neil Kinnock discuss the UK election results.
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.
Events
New date: CER/WifOR hybrid discussion on 'EU fiscal policy: Is health a no-brainer public investment?' with Santiago Calvo-Ramos, Grace Hampson, Hatice Küçük Beton, Margarida Marques and Dennis Ostwald
04 September 2024
Hybrid Brussels/Zoom
Please email [email protected] for further information including how to register.
Webinar on 'What the UK election results mean for Europe'
10 July 2024
Zoom
With Catherine Barnard, Stella Creasy and David Lidington. Watch the video of the event here.
CER/Carnegie Europe hybrid discussion on 'The end of the near abroad'
03 July 2024
Hybrid London
With Anna Matveeva and Thomas de Waal. Watch the video of the event here.
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/Kreab breakfast on 'A future proof EU budget: Design and financing'
25 June 2024
Brussels
With Stéphanie Riso, Director-General for Budget, European Commission