Press
Boris Johnson's 'Australian-style deal' is 'code for no-deal', EU trade chief says
05 February 2020
The Independent
An "Australian-style" Brexit trade deal suggested by Boris Johnson as an option in talks with the EU is just "code for no-deal", the bloc's trade commissioner has said.
Post Brexit, EU shows ‘little appetite’ for defense co-operation
05 February 2020
Defence News
Centre for European Reform analyst Luigi Scazzieri said in a recent opinion piece for Aspenia Online that while a close defense partnership may emerge at some point, it is unlikely to in the near term. “Boris Johnson’s government appears cautious of seeking a close relationship with the EU, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arguing that it had other options,” Scazzieri said.
EU trade chief: ‘Australia-style’ Brexit agreement means no deal
05 February 2020
Politico
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson could still end up without a trade agreement if he pursues an "Australia-style" deal with the EU because such a deal does not exist, European Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan said.
Brexit turns up the heat on access rules to EU defense coffers
05 February 2020
Defence News
Sophia Besch, a senior research fellow with the Centre for European Reform, said the jury is still out over that assessment. “The big question is whether the European Union can prove that the initiatives improve the operational capabilities,” she said.
Calm down, Brexit trade deal can be done
05 February 2020
Financial Times
As Sam Lowe, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, puts it, “the negotiation will be over preconditions. There will be some tough issues, but there is nothing fundamental in the mandates to stop a deal. If those key issues get resolved, the trade agreement will pretty much write itself.”
How the EU can survive Brexit
05 February 2020
The New Statesman
There are tensions between Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel – but unless France and Germany can work together the bloc will fragment.
Keynote address by Commissioner Phil Hogan at the Centre for European Reform
04 February 2020
European Commission
Good evening ladies and gentlemen,
First of all let me thank CER for the invitation to speak here today, and let me commend you for the hugely important space you provide for reflection and debate.
We live in a time where balanced analysis has gone out of fashion in many constituencies. Polarised...
First of all let me thank CER for the invitation to speak here today, and let me commend you for the hugely important space you provide for reflection and debate.
We live in a time where balanced analysis has gone out of fashion in many constituencies. Polarised...
Brussels has nothing to fear from UK in talks on level playing field
04 February 2020
The Times
Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, says that Brussels is nervous because it fears that the UK, being so close to the EU, could “entice investment via deregulation that would otherwise go to the EU”. Those companies could then use the UK’s free trade deal to access EU markets.
"Välisilm": Suurbritannia on Euroopa Liidu jaoks nüüd konkurent
03 February 2020
ERR
Mõttekoja Centre for European Reform analüütik Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska sõnul valitseb Suurbritannias ikka veel arusaam, et võib tulla Brüsselisse ja ähvardada oma partnereid, lüüa rusikas lauale ja kasutada jaga ja valitse lähenemist.
You haven’t heard the end of Brexit
03 February 2020
The New York Times
For an agreement to be struck this year, said Sam Lowe at the Centre for European Reform, “the UK will have to move a lot and the E.U. will have to move a little.”
UK companies brace for bumps on Brexit homestretch
02 February 2020
The Wall Street Journal
That would likely mean new barriers to trade are inevitable, said Sam Lowe, a trade-policy expert at the Centre for European Reform, a London think tank. The moment the U.K. gets the right to choose to diverge from the EU on regulations, the EU will treat it as if it already has diverged, he said.
BBC Radio 4: The World This Weekend - Post-Brexit trade policy
02 February 2020
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow a the Centre for European Reform spoke to Mark Mardell about the options that Boris Johnson has for new free trade agreements post-Brexit (from 13 mins).
Brexit: How did we get here and how could it have played out differently?
01 February 2020
The Independent
Three people with a good claim to have predicted it first are Charles Grant, Denis MacShane and Patrick O’Flynn. Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, wrote in March 2005 about what would happen if Britain voted No in the referendum Tony Blair had promised.
We still don’t know what Brexit means
01 February 2020
Financial Times
The issue with Mr Javid trying to reassure businesses about the UK’s relationship with the EU is that, as Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform has pointed out, flexibility does not come for free. By reserving the right to diverge from EU rules — even if we do not exercise it — the UK will face significant costs, loss of market access and burdens for business.
Britain leaves the European Union, but Brexit is far from over
01 February 2020
Bloomberg
“Many questions remain about the future relationship,” said Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in London. “We have left the EU, but Brexit lives on.”
Brightblue podcast: Where does Britain go next: The US or the EU?
01 February 2020
This edition of our podcast asks where does Britain go next: The US or the EU? We are joined by Dr Alan Mendoza, Director of the Henry Jackson Society, and Sam Lowe, Researcher at the Centre for European Reform.
2020 will be the year of the UK-EU-US trade triangle
31 January 2020
The Telegraph
Britain needs to “drop its starry-eyed optimism”, according to Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. “The UK will not get an easy ride just because of its so-called special relationship with the US. If the UK resists US demands, particularly in the area of agriculture and food hygiene, then concluding a comprehensive free trade agreement could take years.”
What would a Canada-style trade deal with the UK look like?
31 January 2020
Politico
Johnson has stressed several times that he’s looking for a "super Canada-plus" agreement with the EU rather than a closer economic partnership. “When they say Canada, they don’t mean literally Canada. They mean an equivalent balance of access and obligation,” Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said.
Al Jazeera Arabic: How the EU is adapting to the UK leaving
31 January 2020
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the CER’s spoke to Al Jazeera about how the EU is adapting to the UK leaving.
¿Mejorará la economía británica tras el Brexit?
31 January 2020
Expansion
John Springford, economista jefe del Centro para la Reforma Europea, ha declarado que la expectativa de que la economía británica mejore notablemente después del Brexit "no tiene sentido": "Para empezar, no hay pruebas que demuestren que llegarán muchas inversiones; lo cierto es que la situación será bastante difícil y que se reducirá la actividad de las empresas que dependen de la libre circulación de personas o del comercio sin fricciones".