Press
Brexit warning: EU to unleash onslaught of 'torture weapons' to push UK into stand down
11 September 2020
Express
Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform said: "The real torture weapon isn't actually the thing in the Court of Justice, which I don't think will scare Boris Johnson too much."The real weapon of torture is the lack of a trade agreement, the economic impact on Britain, the psychological impact on the British economy of there not being any agreement, the impact on financial markets, which will react very, very negatively.
Brexit: EU will 'not be shy' in taking legal action if UK put Northern Ireland peace deal at risk
11 September 2020
Euronews
According to Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform (CER) think-tank, the UK government's draft bill, if passed by parliament, would have several consequences including a flare-up of violence on the Irish island, increased support for Scottish independence and a loss of legitimacy on the global stage with regards to respect for international law. He also predicts that London's relations with both Brussels and Washington will sour.
Channel 4 News: EU threatens to take UK government to court over proposed changes to Brexit deal
10 September 2020
"The real weapon of torture is the lack of a trade agreement, the economic impact on Britain,
What no-deal Brexit means, how it might happen, and how it might affect daily life in the UK
10 September 2020
The Telegraph
Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, is confident that if the crunch comes EU member states will strike bilateral side-deals with the UK to cushion the blow. “For now the Commission is taking a strong line, but EU member states will have to look after their own interests”, he predicts.
Why Boris Johnson is considering a no-deal Brexit for a bruised economy
08 September 2020
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform and an adviser to the UK government, says a no-deal exit would also complicate other aspects of Britain’s dealings with the EU, tarnishing relations for years to come.
Brexit revelation: Trade expert exposes Boris Johnson's brutal threat to Brussels
07 September 2020
Express
Commenting today, Sam Lowe, senior researcher for the Centre for European Reform revealed the UK is not attempting to “renege” on the agreement.Although he claimed the UK is not attempting to “renege” on the agreement, he said it is also a "risky" approach.
As Brexit deadlines loom, the posturing and bickering flare again
07 September 2020
The New York Times
“They would say: ‘You’re refusing to implement the agreement we already have. How we can negotiate a new agreement with you?’ ” said Sam Lowe, an expert on trade at the Centre for European Reform, a research group in London. British officials played down suggestions that they plan to rip up the agreement.
Brexit : «Un accord de libre-échange éviterait le chaos aux frontières»
07 September 2020
Liberation
Pour le chercheur Sam Lowe, le Royaume-Uni et l’Union européenne doivent s’éloigner de leurs positions initiales afin d’arriver à un compromis.
Navalny poisoning raises pressure on Merkel to cancel Russian pipeline
04 September 2020
The New York Times
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy for the Centre for European Reform and a former British diplomat in Moscow, said he expected Ms. Merkel would go first to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to investigate the poisoning, as Britain did after the Salisbury attack. After that she could raise the issue in the Security Council, the European Union and NATO.
Fears grow of a December Brexit without a trade deal
04 September 2020
The Economist
As Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, notes, the economic difference between a barebones trade deal and no deal is not all that large. A deal would avoid tariffs in sensitive sectors like cars, but in either case disruption from customs checks, lorry queues and intrusive non-tariff barriers would be substantial.
CER podcast: Tensions rising between Turkey and EU in Eastern Mediterranean
03 September 2020
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s regional ambitions and push for control of gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean have put Turkey on a collision course with the EU.
BBC Parliament: Wales and Brexit Committee
03 September 2020
Coverage of a Welsh Affairs Committee session taking evidence on the implications of Brexit for trade in Wales, with witnesses including Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group, Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform and Shanker Singham of Competere.
A quatre mois du Brexit, Johnson peine à tenir sa promesse de « Global Britain »
02 September 2020
Les Echos
« A ce stade, le Royaume-Uni est surtout parvenu à répliquer les accords commerciaux de Bruxelles avec des pays comme la Suisse, Israël et la Corée du Sud pour continuer de bénéficier des mêmes conditions même lorsqu'il sera sorti de l'UE, explique Sam Lowe, du think tank Centre for European Reform. Ce n'est pas si mal. Mais il lui reste à faire de même d'ici la fin de l'année avec le Canada, l'Ukraine, Singapour ou encore le Vietnam, voire le Mexique et la Turquie ».
Brussels briefing: Around Europe
02 September 2020
Financial Times
Camino Mortera-Martinez at the Centre for European Reform thinks the EU’s chaotic border closings induced by the pandemic will damage but not ultimately kill off the Schengen passport-free area.
ECB on cusp of history if only its next top recruit is a woman
01 September 2020
Bloomberg Quint
“If she wants to, Lagarde has the standing to put a lot of pressure on governments to find a woman for the job, which would force them to look at their hiring practices,” said Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform in Berlin.
IIEA: What next for Belarus?
31 August 2020
In his webinar presentation to the IIEA, Charles Grant, director of the CER reflects on the widespread demonstrations and strike actions across Belarus which have greeted Alexander Lukashenko’s contested re-election as President, an office he has held since 1994.
Donald Trump How should Europe respond now its American ally has turned hostile?
30 August 2020
The Guardian
As Sophia Besch of the Centre for European Reform argued recently, Europe must be able to defend its geopolitical interests. Call it “strategic autonomy”. Or simply call it survival. In a world where once trusted friends join the ranks of the predators, soft power is not enough.
Belarus opposition leader ‘a pawn of the West’, Mick Wallace suggests
28 August 2020
The Times
Charles Grant, director at the Centre for European Reform and an expert on Russian and European foreign policy, criticised Mr Wallace and said Ms Tikhanovskaya was not a pawn of western neoliberalism.He told The Times: “I suggest Mick Wallace goes to Belarus to talk to the people there. The overwhelming majority want the regime of Lukashenko to step aside and allow free elections. In contrast to Ukraine in 2014, this is not a ‘geopolitical’ popular movement.
The Eastern Mediterranean heats up
26 August 2020
Encompass
Summer may be drawing to a close but tensions are still heating up in the Eastern Mediterranean. A succession of dangerous military incidents between Turkey, France and Greece has raised the risk of conflict in the region.
German town fears ruin by US effort to stop Russian pipeline
25 August 2020
The New York Times
Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform in Berlin, said the United States, given the power of the dollar, “always had this power but never used it so openly, brutally and clumsily,” especially on allies and Europeans. “With brute force, you can have some impact, but you do long-term damage to US interests in Europe,” he said.