Charles Grant

Charles Grant

Director
Areas of expertise 

Britain’s relationship with the EU, the ‘future of Europe’ debate, European foreign and defence policy, and China's relations with the West.

Twitter 
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Learning to live with the new Russia

Learning to live with the new Russia

01 October 2004
The terrorist attack on the Beslan school in North Ossetia horrified people all over Europe, as in other continents. And yet, despite the wave of sympathy that briefly united Russians and other Europeans, the fallout from Beslan is likely to damage the relationship between Russia and the EU.
That relationship had...
The peculiarities of the British

The peculiarities of the British

02 August 2004
In most European countries, those who dislike the EU tend to be the poor and the less educated, who fear for their future and travel little. The politicians who speak for such people tend to come from the far left or far right.
If Britain votes no ...

If Britain votes no ...

01 June 2004
Some people claim to know what will happen if a British referendum defeats the European constitutional treaty. Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, points out that the treaty cannot enter into force unless it is ratified by every member-state.
A European way of war file thumbnail

A European way of war

03 May 2004
The Europeans should develop their own distinctive approach to warfare, argue the authors of this report. Although the Europeans can learn from the Americans on how to prepare for the most demanding sorts of military mission, they should build on their core strengths of peacekeeping, nation-building and counter-insurgency.
Serbia and the EU

Serbia and the EU

01 April 2004
Five years ago, NATO bombed Serbia and killed around 500 civilians. Today, Slobodan Milosevic and Vojislav Seselj (the leader of the ultra-nationalist Radicals) are in custody in The Hague while a convinced democrat, Vojislav Kostunica, is prime minister.
After the Brussels summit

After the Brussels summit: What next for the EU?

16 December 2003
The manner and speed at which the Brussels European Council collapsed took most observers by surprise. Heads of state and government had arrived on the morning of Friday 12 December 2003, expecting negotiations to last until late on Sunday 14.
EU defence takes a step forward

EU defence takes a step forward

05 December 2003
The deal struck between Britain, France and Germany on the future of European defence is good news for those who believe that the EU should focus more on military capabilities than institutions.
The CER guide to the Brussels summit

The CER guide to the Brussels summit

05 December 2003
It is six months since the European Convention, a gathering of parliamentarians, government representatives and experts, presented its draft for an EU constitutional treaty. Since November, the EU governments – the current 15, plus the ten due to join on 1 May 2004 – have been negotiating a revision of this draft, in an 'inter-governmental conference' (IGC).
The CER guide to the draft EU constitution

The CER guide to the draft EU constitution

03 October 2003
For the fourth time in little more than a decade, the EU is trying to overhaul its institutions and policies. The EU’s previous attempts, which culminated in the treaties of Maastricht in 1992, Amsterdam in 1997 and Nice in 2000, were less than fully successful. Citizens still perceive the EU...
Resolving the rows over ESDP

Resolving the rows over ESDP

03 October 2003
European defence has returned to the top of EU governments’ agendas this year, with the divisions provoked by the Iraq war making it a highly sensitive subject. It is possible to argue that the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) has proceeded according to plan in 2003.