Press

With focus on eurosceptics, Cameron risks 'Brexit'

01 November 2014
Agence France Presse
"There has been a complete loss of understanding about where the government's position is on Europe over the past two weeks," said John Springford of the CER.

BBC Radio 4 Week in Westminster: There may be trouble ahead

01 November 2014
BBC Radio 4
Labour discord in Scotland. Tory troubles in Europe. The message from by-elections. And Lord Falconer on losing five stones in weight.
Charles Grant speaks on Cameron's troubles in Brussels (11:04).

Europa moet zich hardmaken voor toegang tot schaliegas VS

Rem Korteweg
31 October 2014
Energiepodium.nl
Rem Korteweg writes for Energiepodium on the promise of US shale gas imports and TTIP in the context of the Ukraine crisis (in Dutch).

Commission defers budget battle

Christian Odendahl
30 October 2014
European Voice
Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the CER, said that the real issue was whether the Commission’s decision not to reject immediately the French and Italian budgets had harmed the credibility of the stability and growth pact in the eyes of German voters.

Why the Eurozone suffers from a Germany problem

Simon Tilford
27 October 2014
Social Media Journal
As Simon Tilford suggests, Germany is viewed by many in the Eurozone as a model to follow, rather than as a source for their current problems.

EU membership is 'critical' for British exports

25 October 2014
The Telegraph
The CER has estimated that membership of the EU increases Britain’s trade in goods by around 30 per cent and has also warned that an exit would endanger exports. Europe currently accounts for around 54 per cent of Britain’s total trade.

'One road for many itineraries' Bucharest Forum 2014 October 2-4

24 October 2014
Bucharest Forum
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform speaks on 'One road for many itineraries' panel, at the Bucharest Forum 2014, held at the Palace of Parliament on October 2 - 4.

Europe needs policies to halt coal, not more debate on targets

Stephen Tindale
24 October 2014
RTCC
The European Council has accepted the proposals from the European Commission for a -40 per cent greenhouse gas target, a 27 per cent renewables target and a 27 per cent energy efficiency target.

In his anger, Cameron has made Britain a toxic brand

24 October 2014
The Guardian
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform says Britain’s former allies are "in despair. They want to help us, they want us to stay in – but the brand is increasingly toxic."

Xenophobia is bad economics: Five reasons why Britain should welcome immigration

21 October 2014
Forbes
"Current levels of immigration help Britain to deal with the costs of an ageing population," states the CER in its paper 'The Economic Consequences of Leaving the EU'.

Europe's crisis that won't go away

Simon Tilford
21 October 2014
BBC News
Simon Tilford from the CER says: "This is a recipe for stagnation, deflation and political populism in France and Italy. It may culminate in a breakdown in relations between Germany and these countries and could even lead to a eurozone break-up."

Fossil fuel industry sustained by ‘toxic triangle’ that puts 400 million at risk

17 October 2014
The Guardian
Stephen Tindale, an associate fellow at the Centre for European Reform, argued in a September report that "inefficient fossil fuel subsidies" needed to be stopped in Europe, in line with a G20 commitment made in 2009.

Juncker takes another gamble

16 October 2014
European Voice
"Everybody recognises him as competent and effective, so if he’s given charge of the important energy dossier that is good news because you need someone as experienced as him to handle this sensitive issue," said Charles Grant, director of the CER.

European policy makers at odds as eurozone’s economic woes deepen

Simon Tilford
14 October 2014
Wall Street Journal
"The ECB’s position has been made much harder by the eurozone employing pro-cyclical fiscal policies" of spending cuts and tax increases that have weighed on growth, said Simon Tilford, deputy director of the CER.

Beware of the Sweden Democrats (in Hebrew)

Yehuda Ben-Hur Levy
13 October 2014
Haaretz
לאחר הבחירות הכלליות בשבדיה, הוקמה שם ממשלת שמאל חדשה, בראשות המפלגה הסוציאל־דמוקרטית. והנה, לא עבר שבוע מאז השבעתה וכבר מסתמן, באופן לא מפתיע, כי הממשלה החדשה (שאחד מחבריה השתתף במשט המרמרה) מתכוונת לנקוט קו נוקשה יותר כלפי ישראל.

Putin deals China winning hand as sanctions power rival

12 October 2014
Bloomberg
In 1979, at the start of Deng Xiaoping overhaul of the economy, China’s output was 40 percent of that of the Soviet Russian Republic -- the present-day Russian Federation, according to a study by the Centre for European Reform. By 2010, it was four-times larger.

Analist: Sunt pesimist în ceea ce priveşte şansele proiectului "Noul Drum al Mătăsii" (in Romanian)

12 October 2014
Digi 24
Ian Bond, de la CER: "Sunt pesimist în ceea ce priveşte şansele acestui proiect (Noul Drum al Mătăsii – n.r.). Diferenţele dintre ţările aflate de-a lungul aşa-numitului Nou Drum al Mătăsii sunt enorme şi interesele jucătorilor externi, sunt diferite."

Pașaport diplomatic - Drumul mătăsii

11 October 2014
Digi 24
România este din nou în centrul atenției mondiale pentru un proiect în care sunt implicate foarte multe țări de pe trei continente. Ian Bond speaks in English on the New Silk Road (15:20).

Better in than out? The prospects for and implications of "Brexit"

John Springford, Anand Menon, Jeremy Shapiro, Fiona Hill, Damian Chalmers, Nicolas Jabko and Daniel Kelemen.
10 October 2014
Brookings
The United Kingdom has always had an uneasy relationship with the European Union. The current UK government has promised the British people that they will get a chance in 2017 to decide whether they should finally break away from the EU entirely. British critics see the European Union as an undemocratic imposition of foreign rules on an unwilling British public, while British proponents see the EU as an important source of British prosperity and a magnifier of British influence in the world.

Finnish Prime Minister calls for ‘more Europe’ on energy and climate policy

Stephen Tindale
09 October 2014
British Influence
Yesterday the CER hosted a speech by Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb on “Smart and cost-effective energy and climate policy”. It was clear from his remarks and the tone of delivery that he strongly wants the UK to remain in the EU.