Press
Europe's protest parties on the march
01 March 2013
The Guardian
"Voters now associate structural reforms with slump, rising unemployment and social stress," said Charles Grant and Simon Tilford of the CER in a paper published on Friday. "The Berlin-Brussels-Frankfurt consensus on austerity that Monti's government [pursued] has discredited the very reforms that are needed to boost the Italian economy."
EU strikes deal to cap banker bonuses
28 February 2013
Reuters
"This could push British political opinion and opinion in the City of London several notches more hostile to the EU than it is already," said Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a think tank.
Denmark is the easiest place in the EU to do business
28 February 2013
Information
"It's complicated," said Simon Tilford, of the CER. "Germany, for example, has a relatively high corporate tax rate, but has very generous deductions, so the real picture is more nuanced."
Are Italian voters right that austerity isn't working?
27 February 2013
The Christian Science Monitor
"Cutting public spending in a downturn is always risky, but it is especially so when all of Europe is tightening fiscal policy at the same time. The principal reason why public deficits have risen across Europe is because private sector demand has contracted sharply," says Simon Tilford of the CER.
Italy turmoil raises questions about ECB backstop
27 February 2013
Associated Press
"Basically investors are taking this on faith," said Simon Tilford of the CER. ..."It would be very hard for the ECB to wade into the market and buy substantial quantities of Italian debt if there is political gridlock in Italy and a broad based rebellion against the austerity strategy," Tilford warns.
Election deadlock raises fears of new crisis in recently calmer eurozone
26 February 2013
The Washington Post
"The politics of the current strategy for coping with the eurozone are looking increasingly fraught and unworkable,” said Simon Tilford of the CER. "On a positive note, if it leads to a rethinking of this approach, then it could be positive for the future of the currency union," he added.
Uncertain election results rekindle euro crisis fears
26 February 2013
The Wall Street Journal
Democracy "is the eurozone's Achilles' heel," said Charles Grant, director of the London-based Centre for European Reform. ..."The euro isn't safe until growth returns in Southern Europe," Mr Grant said.
This euroscpetic isle
25 February 2013
BBC Radio 4
Charles Grant talks to James Landale about business and rising euroscepeticism in Britain (from 13.39 - 14.29).
Little clarity in Italian vote aside from anger
25 February 2013
The New York Times
"No doubt Italy has an imperfect political culture, but this election I think is the logical consequence of pursuing policies that have dramatically worsened the economic and social picture in Italy," said Simon Tilford of the CER.
EU-US trade talks promise both prizes and pitfalls
18 February 2013
Reuters
So even if the goodwill exists to park such issues in the sidings [the EU's reluctance to lower its guard against US biotech food such as genetically modified plants or hormone-fed beef], agriculture still has the potential to poison the talks, said Philip Whyte of the CER, a think-tank in London.
German shoppers hold the key to EU growth
15 February 2013
Financial Times
"Supply side reforms are no panacea," said Simon Tilford, chief economist for the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. Germany, where unemployment is low, should be adopting expansionary macroeconomic policies to boost demand, he said.
Lune de fiel entre Londres et Bruxelles
13 February 2013
Le Temps
"C’est bien là la cause de toutes les difficultés qu’auront ensuite la Grande-Bretagne et l’Europe à accorder leurs violons", estime Simon Tilford, chef économiste du CER, basé à Londres.
Minimum wage in Europe offers ammunition in US debate
13 February 2013
The New York Times
"The impact on growth from changes in the minimum wage comes down to the level at which it is set," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER in London
US-EU trade deal faces cultural hurdles
13 February 2013
Marketplace
Simon Tilford of the CER claims the two sides will struggle to open their markets fully to each other’s farm produce. "When they get down to the nitty-gritty, it’s possible that the negotiations will founder on some of the cultural differences between the EU and the US over things such as genetically modified food," says Tilford.
Growing chorus at home urges UK to break with Brussels
12 February 2013
Global Finance
"A referendum looks almost inevitable now but the timeframe is uncertain," says Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the CER in London. She says the debate is already having a negative economic impact: Investors are getting nervous.
EU claims that crisis is over, premature analysts claim
11 February 2013
Voice of America
“Politics is one of the black swans of the eurozone this year. In Italy we could have political uncertainty, perhaps the return of Silvio Berlusconi. In Spain, we don’t know where the current scandal surrounding the prime minister will go", said Philip Whyte, of the CER
Peugeot's state guarantee gets temporary EU approval
11 February 2013
Bloomberg
"As a French consumer looking for a car, you’re confronted with paying dramatically higher rates of interest to buy a Peugeot on credit than you are a Volkswagen," said Simon Tilford, of the CER.
Shale gas distracts EU 'action heroes' from saving the climate
10 February 2013
New Europe
In a 2011 piece published by the CER, Dieter Helm exulted over how shale gas “turns out to be super-abundant” and predicted that switching from coal to gas could halve Europe’s carbon dioxide emissions.
UK and France: Relations between London and Paris
10 February 2013
BBC Daily politics
Charles Grant speaks to David Thompson about how the UK and France are getting along better these days (at 1.42).
European leaders agree, finally, to a lower budget
08 February 2013
The New York Times
"The budget negotiations are the most visible sign of member states winning and losing from the European Union," said Hugo Brady, a senior research fellow at the CER, a research organization. "The result is a totally parochial budget that is poorly adapted to rapidly changing times."