Press
Covid pandemic masks Brexit impact on UK economy
01 July 2021
Financial Times
John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said: “Generally, Covid has swamped the economic data making any comparisons difficult, so we cannot really disentangle the Brexit effect.”
Northern Ireland Assembly: Finance Committee
30 June 2021
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the CER spoke to the Northern Ireland Assembly Finance Committee on customs and the movement of goods (from 2:02).
UK unveils emergency legislation to protect domestic steelmakers
30 June 2021
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, said it was no longer possible for British ministers to point the finger at Brussels when it came to issues like trade or subsidy control.
Brexit: So close, yet so far…
30 June 2021
The Parliament Magazine
Despite current difficulties, the UK and the EU will, in the long run, forge closer economic and security ties, predicts Charles Grant.
Royal yacht or fishing trawler? Either way, even the royal family isn't interested
27 June 2021
The New York Times
“At the very most, it could be useful as a trade promotion tool,” said Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform in London. “But it won’t make even the tiniest difference to whether UK concludes a trade deal or not.”
La moraleja de las salchichas de Johnson
27 June 2021
El Pais
Los grandes proyectos históricos necesitan, principalmente, políticos de Estado y planes estratégicos. Downing Street no tiene ni lo uno ni lo otro.
He saved 31 people at sea. Then got a 142-year prison sentence.
25 June 2021
The New York Times
“It’s very difficult for Greece but also for the EU to co-operate with Turkey to crack down on trafficking,” said Camino Mortera-Martinez, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in Brussels. “It’s easier for the Greek authorities to say ‘You were there, you were steering the boat and so you are charged with this crime.’”
CER podcast: Frans Timmermans on the EU and climate
25 June 2021
John Springford discusses Frans Timmermans' remarks at a recent CER event with Elisabetta Cornago.
Towards a reinvigorated West?
24 June 2021
Aspenia Online
After the acrimony of the Trump years, the first in-person summits between US President Joe Biden and European leaders were bound to be a feel-good moment.
The real ‘Brexit dividend’? Minus £800m a week – and counting
23 June 2021
The Independent
The Centre for European Reform think tank has run a doppelganger modelling exercise, examining and comparing other countries’ trade patterns since the start of this year, that suggests Brexit has reduced UK goods exports by 11 per cent, or £7.7bn relative to where they otherwise would have been.
Biden builds bridges after turbulent Trump era
22 June 2021
The Parliament Magazine
Assessing the prospects for the transatlantic relationship under the Biden administration, Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, cautioned that, even after the often turbulent Trump era, NATO and EU colleagues “should not get carried away” by the new man in the White House.
Spain & France make official complaint over UK goods - 'EU rules broken!'
18 June 2021
The Express
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform thinktank, condemned the plans and warned the UK could be in breach of its international commitments.He said: “Local content requirements are prohibited not just under the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement, but also the UK’s WTO commitments.
Brexit faces problems at the Northern Irish border
17 June 2021
The Economist
A model constructed by John Springford of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank with offices in both London and Brussels, concludes that goods trade is 11% lower than it would otherwise have been, on top of an earlier 10% fall since the referendum.
Wind turbine clash adds to UK-EU post-Brexit tensions
17 June 2021
The Guardian
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, and a former member of the Department for International Trade’s strategic trade advisory group, said: “Local content requirements are prohibited not just under the EU-UK trade and co-operation agreement, but also the UK’s WTO commitments.
Trade Talks Podcast: Global Britain: How's that going then?
17 June 2021
Sam Lowe spoke on the latest Trade Talks podast about how to understand the spat concerning Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol, and the UK's new trade deal with Australia.
Judy Asks: Will distrust among EU leaders fail Ukraine?
16 June 2021
Carnegie Europe
EU leaders exaggerated their unity at the start of this crisis. They should not now overstate their differences or suspect each other’s motives.
Biden and Putin conclude high-stakes diplomacy at Geneva summit
16 June 2021
CNBC
“This is an attempt to stabilize the situation,” Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, told CNBC Wednesday. “The slogan from the Americans has been that they want predictability and stability in the relationship and it has been on a downward spiral, things have been getting worse.”
Google's rare surrender on ads risks more antitrust pursuers
16 June 2021
Bloomberg
“Obtaining a settlement is likely to be a roadmap for other regulators,” said Zach Meyers, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank.
Australia trade deal will deliver minimal benefit to UK economy and poses risks for farmers, say experts
16 June 2021
The Independent
Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, tweeted that “trade deals don’t do very much for aggregate GDP either positively or negatively” because the main benefits come from reducing tariffs, which are already quite low.
‘A new dawn’: Australia and Britain agree on historic trade deal
15 June 2021
The Sydney Morning Herald
Centre for European Reform trade expert Sam Lowe said he was surprised the UK agreed to eventually eliminate agricultural tariffs.
“When it comes to tariffs, we have a constituency-based electoral system which sees farmers heavily concentrated in Conservative backyards. The fact we are discussing duty free and quota-free trade is something that will have shocked everyone.”
“When it comes to tariffs, we have a constituency-based electoral system which sees farmers heavily concentrated in Conservative backyards. The fact we are discussing duty free and quota-free trade is something that will have shocked everyone.”