Press
German industry cannot save Britain from hard Brexit, warns Merkel
06 October 2016
The Telegraph
Simon Tilford, deputy director at the Centre for European Reform, a pro-EU think-tank, said that taking a hard line with Britain despite the size of its market reflected European concerns that Brexit posed an existential threat to the EU.
“If Britain could leave but retain the advantages of membership, what would prevent other Eurosceptic countries from pushing for similar deals? Like France and Italy, Germany is desperate to avoid setting a precedent that emboldens Eurosceptic movements in other countries,” he said.
“If Britain could leave but retain the advantages of membership, what would prevent other Eurosceptic countries from pushing for similar deals? Like France and Italy, Germany is desperate to avoid setting a precedent that emboldens Eurosceptic movements in other countries,” he said.
Judy Asks: Is Central Europe destroying EU solidarity?
05 October 2016
Carnegie Europe
Central Europe's defiant approach toward the refugee crisis has undermined EU unity, but it has not triggered its erosion.
Czy Kaczyński zaszkodzi szansom Tuska na drugą kadencję? Może, ale nie musi
05 October 2016
Wiadomosci
Patrząc od strony politycznej, unijna praktyka pokazuje że dobrze jest, jeśli jest jednomyślność. Tym bardziej, że jego zadaniem jest wypracowywanie kompromisów i reprezentowanie stanowiska rządów państw członkowskich - mówi WP Agata Gostyńska, analityk Centre for European Reform w Londynie. - Ostatecznie dużo będzie zależeć od tego, czy zostanie zaproponowany kontrkandydat, i czy Polska będzie jedynym państwem sprzeciwiającym się wyborowi Tuska - dodaje.
Hammond hasn't had enough of experts
04 October 2016
Financial Times
Hammond seems to have a well-read advisory team. This bit of the speech seemed to have been written in direct response to Simon Tilford’s pamphlet on Britain’s mediocre economy, published last week (picked up in Free Lunch and later by Martin Wolf). Hammond pointed out that labour productivity in Britain is worse not just than that of the US and Germany, but also France and Italy. He pointed out that changing this requires greater investment in infrastructure and skills. And he highlighted the large disparity in prosperity between different regions of the UK. It was as if he was ticking boxes set out by Tilford, since these were the main headings in the pamphlet.
Storbritannien på vej mod 'hård Brexit'
04 October 2016
Information
Den britiske økonomi har i månederne efter EU-afstemningen klaret sig bedre, end hvad mange eksperter advarede om under valgkampen.
Tok FM: Brexit czas zaczac
04 October 2016
The CER's Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska speaks to Tok FM about Theresa May's decision to launch Brexit talks.
William Hague's migration solution
04 October 2016
Financial Times
As Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform argues in a paper out this week: "British negotiators need to understand why the 27 are taking such a tough line on the four freedoms. Their obduracy is based on more than the attachment of EU politicians and officials to conservative, traditional thinking.
Phil's six impossible things to do before Brexit
04 October 2016
The Evening Standard
However, as was pointed out here only last week, citing analysis published by the Centre for European Reform, if growth is calculated with reference to what things cost in each county and what the money can actually buy, then the UK is behind Germany, Spain and France among the European countries, to say nothing of those G7 counties across the Atlantic — the USA and Canada.
Theresa May's game of Brexit chicken
03 October 2016
Prospect
Theresa May's speech to the Conservative party conference yesterday was only slightly less gnomic than her previous statements about Brexit.
CER podcast: Charles Grant on negotiating Brexit – priorities on both sides of the channel
03 October 2016
Sophia Besch talks to CER's director Charles Grant about Brexit red lines in Paris, Berlin and Brussels and a negotiation strategy for the British.
Theresa May: The captain of HMS Brexit surfaces
03 October 2016
Channel 4 News
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform has repeatedly argued we are heading for a Canada Trade Deal with some additions. Brexiteer ministers would argue we can do much better than that because of various entanglements that allow us to improve our bargaining position.
May on collision course with Conservative backbenchers over hard Brexit
03 October 2016
The Guardian
Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, has published a paper in which he reveals that negotiators in other countries including France and Germany are preparing to stand their ground in Brexit negotiations. They believe freedom of movement is a central part of the single market and are reluctant to make concessions in other areas. "She is trying to square a circle and none of us know how she plans to do it, but British companies will not be in the single market if she limits immigration and spurns or rejects ECJ rulings," said Grant.
German hard line on Italy may rebound with Deutsche in crisis
03 October 2016
The Daily Mail
The possibility that Deutsche could run short of capital if it is overwhelmed by penalties puts Berlin in a more vulnerable position than before, possibly undermining any push for a tough solution for Italy. "They have taken a very doctrinaire line with the Italians," said Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think-tank. "Maybe this gives Germany cover to soften their line."
Theresa May sets out her stall
03 October 2016
Financial Times
Charles Grant, of the Centre for European Reform, says the reason the EU is taking such a tough stance — not only rejecting pre-negotiation but also insisting that the UK cannot have the single market without freedom of movement — is fear of populism.
Europe governments warn May won't get early Brexit talks
03 October 2016
Bloomberg
The remaining nations may be taking a hard line as they worry early talks would allow the British to sow divisions among the 27 by meeting with individual governments, according to Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform.
What will happen now timescale for article 50 has been revealed?
02 October 2016
The Guardian
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform likens it to a divorce settlement, "dividing up the properties, institutions and pension rights, and dealing with budget payments and ... the rights of UK citizens in the EU and vice versa".
Hard bargain: Lacking clear American leadership, the global trade agenda is floundering
01 October 2016
The Economist
Christian Odendahl, an economist at the Centre for European Economic Reform, a think-tank, says that including such a controversial provision in TTIP was probably a mistake; legal systems in America and Europe are developed enough for investors not to need the extra legal certainty.
Hungary's Orban aims to 'give the finger' to Europe in migrant referendum
01 October 2016
NBC News
Camino Mortera-Martinez, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, described the question as "absolutely biased" and pointed to its loaded language. "The way the question has been put to the people, I think Orban is likely to win," she said.
Down to earth: Brexiteers need to respect gravity models of international trade
01 October 2016
The Economist
For the foreseeable future, GDP per person in places like India and China will be lower than the EU’s, points out John Springford of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. It will be many years before these countries’ citizens are rich enough to demand the same sorts of goods and services from Britain as the EU does.
Bye, bye Basel: Shielding Europe's banks
30 September 2016
Financial Times
Talking Britain down: Martin Wolf draws attention to the myriad flaws of the British economy in this piece. The piece relies on a paper by Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform, which we linked to the other day.