Press
How should Britain step up to enhance European security?
21 March 2025
Britain's World
Seen from Rome, the UK is an essential partner and pillar of European security. The UK’s contribution to a stronger European security posture can be both political and practical.
Réarmement : vers un grand emprunt commun des Vingt-Sept pour financer la défense européenne ?
20 March 2025
Le Parisien
« Je ne suis pas si convaincu : il a déjà été difficile pour les chrétiens-démocrates allemands d’accepter que l’Allemagne effectue une augmentation des dépenses si massives ; ajouter un emprunt européen à cela me semble politiquement délicat. Je pense que cela pourrait advenir si la situation sécuritaire de l’Europe se détériorait encore plus dramatiquement : par exemple, si les États-Unis retiraient leurs troupes d’Europe ou si le front ukrainien s’effondrait, analyse Sander Tordoir du groupe de réflexion Centre for European Reform.
Russia's next move? The countries trying to Putin-proof themselves
20 March 2025
BBC News
Ian Bond, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, thinks that if a long-term ceasefire is eventually agreed in Ukraine, Putin would be unlikely to stop there."Nobody in their right mind wants to think that a European war is around the corner again. But the reality is an increasing number of European intelligence officials have been telling us that…
Future is Blue podcast: Rearmament push: Leveraging Europe’s often-ignored industrial strength
19 March 2025
In this Future is Blue episode, Sander Tordoir from the Centre for European Reform discusses his article Heavy Industry is Europe’s Trump Card.
EU struggles to bring Trump to the table on tariffs
19 March 2025
Reuters
"It is clear that the Trump administration would rather not engage with the EU at all," said Aslak Berg, research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank. ..."The stated demands are far-reaching and obviously unrealistic as they touch at the heart of European sovereignty and regulatory autonomy," said Berg. "The chances of any successful negotiation at this point are very slim."
RTL: Duits parlement stemt voor investeringen
18 March 2025
Sander Tordoir of the CER, spoke to RTL to discuss debt brake reform and the outlook for Germanys fiscal policy and economy.
NPO Radio 1: "Historische" dag voor Duitsland: schuldenrem wordt losgelaten
18 March 2025
Jarenlang was Duitsland onze zuinige buurman. Maar... dat gaat veranderen. Vandaag stemde de Duitse Bondsdag namelijk voor het loslaten van de "Schuldenbremse" - de schuldenrem die strenge begrotingsregels oplegde aan de Duitse regering - en voor een investeringspakket van honderden miljarden euro's.Waarom doet Duitsland dit, wat gaat er veranderen en, ook niet onbelangrijk, wat betekent dat voor ons? Dat bespreken we in deze uitzending met Bert Colijn, econoom bij ING Research, en Sander Tordoir, hoofdeconoom van de Europese denktank CER.
Starmer wants Britain treated like EU member in €800bn defence plan
18 March 2025
The Telegraph
Dr Luigi Scazzieri, of the Centre for European Reform think tank, said it would not be easy for the UK to “plug in” to EU joint procurement schemes and plans to boost production.He said ideas being discussed included the EU changing its rules to make it easier for British firms to participate, a “pay to play” model with the UK participating in individual projects, or the UK becoming formally associated with EU defence instruments.
China's growing grip on more than Germany's car industry
18 March 2025
Deutsche Welle
Germany’s industrial backbone is facing an unprecedented challenge. Once the leader in high-end manufacturing, the country has witnessed a five-year decline in industrial production, which threatens up to 5.5 million jobs and 20% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to a recent report by the London-based Centre for European Reform (CER)
ITIF: The Trade War podcast - Trading blows: Is Europe prepared?
17 March 2025
In this episode of the Trade War Podcast by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, host Stan McCoy delves into the current state of US-EU trade tensions with esteemed European trade experts Ignacio Garcia Becerro and Aslak Berg of the CER.
Trump’s tech bros pose ‘existential threat’ to EU, says Brussels
15 March 2025
The Telegraph
The Brussels effect works because of the size of the EU market and the technical quality of the regulations themselves, said Aslak Berg, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank.But it works best as a soft power, he added, which is different to the US approach of issuing “a very serious threat”.
Should Europe draw closer to China?
15 March 2025
Financial Times
In this deeply researched analysis for the Centre for European Reform think-tank, Anton Spisak contends that the benefits of the tariffs may not amount to much: "European carmakers face structural pressures that go far beyond subsidised foreign imports."
Newstalk podcast: Latest on the proposed US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine
14 March 2025
Vladimir Putin has said he has many questions about the proposed US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine and appeared to set out a series of sweeping conditions that would need to be met before Russia would agree to such a truce.
We heard from Ian Bond, former British Diplomat in Moscow, and...
We heard from Ian Bond, former British Diplomat in Moscow, and...
Volkswagen pode voltar a produzir veículos militares
14 March 2025
Diário Causa Operária
Segundo Sander Tordoir, economista chefe do Centre for European Reform, a ociosidade nas fábricas pode ser aproveitada tanto para aumentar a fabricação de veículos elétricos quanto para a produção militar.
Pourquoi les Gafam sont au cœur du bras de fer commercial entre Donald Trump et l’UE
12 March 2025
Liberation
«Il est possible que l’UE ait recours à un outil qu’elle n’a encore jamais utilisé : l’instrument anti-coercition (IAC)», analyse Aslak Berg, chercheur spécialisé en économie internationale pour le think-tank Centre for European Reform. Un outil qui, jusqu’ici, faisait plutôt office de «bouton nucléaire», ajoute l’expert.
Een Duitse begrotingsimpuls biedt de EU hoop
12 March 2025
NRC Handelsblad
Duitsland kan door het loslaten van de rem op staatsschulden investeren in defensie. De EU versterkt zo zijn strategische positie, stelt Sander Tordoir.
Een duurzaam, zelfstandig en krachtig Europa lonkt, ondanks de beschamende Nederlandse obstructie
12 March 2025
de Volkskrant
De communis opinio is dat onze zware industrie stervende is. Maar de eigenzinnige econoom Sander Tordoir, van het Berlijnse Centre of European Reform, wijst ons er fijntjes op dat het juist die basisindustrie is waarmee Europa de Verenigde Staten dik verslaat.
CER Podcast: Unpacking Europe: Can Europe still rely on the United States?
11 March 2025
Charles Grant and Kori Schake discuss what America’s hostility to the rules-based international order means for transatlantic relations.
« L’Europe conserve de vrais atouts en cas de guerre commerciale avec les Etats-Unis »
11 March 2025
Le Monde
« Elon Musk et ses entreprises pourraient en faire partie », estime Aslak Berg, du cercle de réflexion Centre for European Reform. Il suggère par exemple que les publicités sur le réseau social X – qui appartient au milliardaire – pourraient être interdites dans l’UE.
The dawn of euro defence bonds?
11 March 2025
Reuters
The Centre for European Reform said last month that bond issuance for defence was feasible and had many upsides. In particular, they noted that a 500 billion euro fund at current yields would generate an annual interest bill of less than 20 billion euros."Since everyone would be on the hook to repay the debt, it could also reduce countries free-riding on the defense capabilities of rapidly ramping-up peers like Poland," it said.