Press
Shadow chancellor offers hints on EU referendum
14 May 2012
Financial Times
Although Labour has never ruled out a plebiscite, Mr Balls's comments at a Centre for European Reform debate surprised senior colleagues who had agreed not to speculate on the subject. Mr Balls said there were questions about "whether there could be a case for there being a referendum more widely on Britain's relationship with Europe as a new settlement evolves". He added: "That might be an issue whose time comes, that might be. But I don't think it’s now."
Blair to back Labour's economic strategy
13 May 2012
Financial Times
On Monday when Lord Mandelson appears alongside his one-time political foe Ed Balls, shadow chancellor, at a CER event. Both men are expected to share a common critique that David Cameron has left Britain marginalised in Europe and that he should be helping to forge a growth strategy at an EU level.
Soccer boycott could kick Ukraine toward reform
11 May 2012
Bloomberg
If war is a continuation of politics by other means, then so is soccer. That's why European Union leaders are right to use the"beautiful game" to pressure an ugly regime in Ukraine.
Chevron and Shell near Ukraine gas deals
10 May 2012
Financial Times
"Through Ukraine's dependence on Russian gas, Moscow always has this weapon to bring Kiev to heel if it, say, tries to move closer to Europe," said Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the CER. "If that stranglehold no longer existed, Ukraine would have more freedom to choose its own path."
Developing joint policies is a slow and difficult job
08 May 2012
Financial Times
"The Lisbon treaty has triggered a huge degree of turf warfare between the European Commission and the External Action Service," says Thomas Valasek of the CER.
Can Hollande save Europe?
07 May 2012
The Sunday Times
Hollande "seems inert but might change the face of the EU," said Hugo Brady of the CER. "Because a lot more is needed than the fiscal compact to save the single currency it will be easier for Hollande to present himself as the spokesman for the disenchanted of the crisis," he said.
France's Francois Hollande changes the mix in Europe
07 May 2012
LA Times
"Hollande makes an awful lot of sense when he talks about the need for less austere, less restrictive fiscal policies, but his credibility is much undermined when he talks about reversing the increases in the retirement age or increasing the minimal wage by a huge amount," said Simon Tilford, of the CER.
A taste of Hollandaise
07 May 2012
Hindustan Times
"If Hollande has ever understood the need to cut public spending in France and introduce painful structural reforms to boost productivity," says Charles Grant, of the CER, "he has kept that hidden."
Greek voters vent rage on major parties
07 May 2012
Global Post
“We might still have a government where mainstream political forces account for the majority, but unless they can arrest the implosion of the Greek economy, I don’t think they will be in power for very long,” said Simon Tilford of the CER.
Hollande defeats Sarkozy in French presidency vote
06 May 2012
USA Today
"Hollande makes an awful lot of sense when he talks about the need for less austere, less restrictive fiscal policies, but his credibility is much undermined when he talks about reversing the increases in the retirement age or increasing the minimal wage by a huge amount," said Simon Tilford of the CER.
Analysis: Greek, French voters reject German-led austerity
06 May 2012
Reuters
"In many ways Spain remains a bigger problem than Greece because of its size," said Charles Grant, of the CER. ..."I think it's very hard to see how Greece can stay in the euro in the long run. It's the only country where there are no signs that the medicine is working.
Next up to take on Europe's debt crisis: Democracy
05 May 2012
LA Times
"Democracy is on its way into the euro crisis," said Hugo Brady of the CER. "While we don't know what that means, it does mean the end of a solely technocratic response to it." ...For Brady, time is of the essence. New fiscal compacts and philosophical discussions by leaders and "Eurocrats" are all well and good, but the present reality demands quick action. "At some point, voters are going to have to step in and say, 'Snap out of this navel-gazing and address the problems here and now,'" he said. "It could be equally destabilising.
Yulia Tymoshenko's plight becomes PR disaster for Ukraine
03 May 2012
The Guardian
Tomas Valasek of the CER puts it like this: "When one sees that five former ministers of the previous government are in jail, but people who are certainly equally corrupt or who are closer to the current government are not being persecuted, I'm sorry, that's not justice, that's vengeance. That's the EU's main problem."
French far right key to election outcome
02 May 2012
Voice of America
"In the campaigning in the second round, Sarkozy has definitely been flirting with the voters of the National Front," said Philip Whyte of the CER. "And that's manifested itself in two areas in particular. The first is on immigration - he's been making some relatively hostile remarks on immigration. And second, he's been making much more protectionist noises on economic policy."
Would Orwell be pro-European?
01 May 2012
E!Sharp
George Orwell devoted a lot of his writing to how the use of language is intimately connected to the abuse of power by politicians and officials. The final commandment in Animal Farm (“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”) and the “Newspeak” of Nineteen Eighty-Four...
The 'grey zone' between journalism and policy-makers
01 May 2012
EU Observer
Hugo Brady talks to the EU Observer about a day in the life of a think-tanker. He also analyses the highly politicised discussion on the EU's borderless zone, the Schengen area.
Anti-euro UKIP scents Conservative blood
01 May 2012
Reuters
"The fact that people vote for UKIP in these elections needs to be taken seriously and it does obviously reflect a relatively widespread hostility to Brussels and all its works," said Philip Whyte, at the CER, a think-tank which generally supports the European Union's broad goals. "It's a part of a wider European trend, the fact that the economy across Europe is so weak, that also helps a relatively inward looking agenda, which is what UKIP represents."
12 French far right key to election outcome
01 May 2012
Voice of America
Analyst Philip Whyte is with the CER, in London. "In the campaigning in the second round, Sarkozy has definitely been flirting with the voters of the National Front ... And that's manifested itself in two areas in particular.
Ihr selbstgerechten Deutschen!
30 April 2012
Die Zeit
Wenn es um die Krise in der Euro-Zone geht, lautet die herrschende Erzählung in Deutschland wie folgt: Es gibt keine Krise des Euro, denn dieser war ein Erfolg. Wenn einige Staaten im Moment in Schwierigkeiten stecken, dann nur deshalb, weil sie an Wettbewerbsfähigkeit verloren und die Maastricht-Kriterien verletzt haben. Die...
France's presidential frontrunner gives markets the jitters
27 April 2012
Voice of America
Analyst Philip Whyte, of the CER, says he understands why markets are jittery about an Hollande presidency. "But of course, once he's in office, he will very quickly be confronted by some of the constraints of office and some of those constraints might be imposed by the bond markets" ... Whyte credits Sarkozy for pushing through a few key reforms - like raising the retirement age - and for his initial leadership in the eurozone crisis. But Whyte faults the French president for letting German Chancellor Angela Merkel dictate eurozone policies today.