Press
A Brexit deal in hand, Boris Johnson faces an uphill struggle in parliament
17 October 2019
The New York Times
But nobody really knows how things will pan out. “We have one step forward, in that we’re talking about something substantive,” said Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, a research group in London. “But we still really have no idea where this is all going to land.”
This deal doesn't get Brexit done – it's just the end of the beginning
17 October 2019
The Telegraph
Some countries like Australia and New Zealand are, meanwhile, negotiating their own trade agreements with the EU, complicating a future trade deal with the UK. “It’s not in Australia or New Zealand’s interest to annoy the European Commission,” says Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform.
EU risks trade fight over carbon border tax plans
16 October 2019
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said the EU “should make it as easy as possible for [importing] companies to seek relief based on proof of actual greenhouse gas emissions”.
UK's economy is £69bn smaller because of Brexit turmoil, says leading think tank
16 October 2019
Evening Standard
Britain's economy is a startling £69 billion smaller than it would have been if the country had not voted for Brexit, according to a leading think tank.The Centre for European Reform said the turmoil and uncertainty triggered by the 2016 vote to quit the EU means the economy is 2.9 per cent smaller than it would have been otherwise. “We have seen a substantial loss of output as a result of slower growth, and the hit to investment is storing up trouble for the future,” said John Springford, deputy director of the CER and author of the analysis.
Brexit deal on a knife-edge as Boris Johnson scrambles to find agreement with DUP
16 October 2019
The Mirror
Brexit has cost almost £70billion since the 2016 referendum thanks to the economy being 2.9% smaller than if the UK voted Remain, according to the Centre for European Reform.
Greta Thunberg accuses rich countries of "creative carbon accounting"
16 October 2019
The Economist
Trade deals could be used to encourage exporting countries to cut emissions, says Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank in London. The EU is considering a “carbon border adjustment”— higher tariffs on goods from countries that do not meet the EU’s environmental standards.
BBC News: Brexit deal deadline
15 October 2019
"It looks like both sides are willing to strike a Brexit agreement and that in itself is good news – but talk of the town in Brussels is that it's likely there will need to be yet another Council summit on Brexit", Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow a the Centre for European Reform tells BBC News.
Getting Brexit done? It’s already cost UK economy almost £70bn, new report says
15 October 2019
The Independent
Brexit has already cost the UK economy almost £70bn – the equivalent of £440m a week or £840 for every household in the country each year – according to a new report from the Centre for European Reform.
Prayer is Brexit strategy as services brace for red tape storm
14 October 2019
Bloomberg
“A lot of British companies selling into Europe or across Europe are going to be breaking the law without realizing it,” said Samuel Lowe, a researcher at the Centre for European Reform.
Election results give hope to opposition in Poland and Hungary
14 October 2019
The Guardian
“It looks like this may be a small step in the right direction – but it’s clear the opposition still has an awful lot of work to do,” said Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
Backstop compromise is still on, but trade issue could yet derail Brexit agreement
14 October 2019
The Telegraph
But Sam Lowe, a trade policy expert with the Centre for European Reform, said that the risk posed to the EU by such a scheme, when applied to Northern Ireland, would be “much smaller” when applied to Northern Ireland than UK-wide.“In practice, with a few exceptions, the day-to-day life for people living under a dual-tariff regime would for most just look and feel as if Northern Ireland were in a customs union with the EU,” he added.
Law and Justice party set for victory in Polish election
14 October 2019
Financial Times
Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, from the Centre for European Reform, said that such policies could lead to further clashes between Warsaw and Brussels. However, she said she did not expect a big confrontation before Poland holds presidential elections next spring. “I think there could be clashes here and there . . . but I don’t think that Law and Justice will want to have a fundamental row with the EU, at least in the first year in power, as immediately after the parliamentary elections, they will start gearing up for presidential elections, where they will want to appeal to moderate voters,” she said.
EU showdown: Poland's ruling party election victory could reignite judicial row with EU
13 October 2019
The Express
The party also wants to continue with its judicial overhaul, which sparked concern with Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska from the Centre for European Reform. She said that this could lead to further clashes between Warsaw and Brussels. But she added she did not expect a big clash before Poland holds presidential elections next spring.She said: “I think there could be clashes here and there . . . but I don’t think that Law and Justice will want to have a fundamental row with the EU, at least in the first year in power, as immediately after the parliamentary elections, they will start gearing up for presidential elections, where they will want to appeal to moderate voters.”
Britain and EU step up last-ditch Brexit talks
11 October 2019
The New York Times
“The EU want a deal,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, a research institute based in London. “They have a lot on their plate: a new commission; the possible resurfacing of a eurozone crisis; the migration crisis, which threatens to rear its ugly head again; the trade wars with Trump’s America.”
Newsnight: Ongoing Brexit negotiations
11 October 2019
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform spoke to BBC Newsnight about the thawing in Brexit negotiations over the past few days.
Commission takes Poland to court on eve of election
11 October 2019
EU Observer
"If PiS wins a parliamentary majority in both houses of parliament, it would probably attempt to further undermine democratic checks and balances. For example, PiS wants to make it easier for the government to lift the immunity of judges," Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, wrote in a recent analysis.
Boris Johnson's love-hate relationship with Brussels over half a century as Prime Minister prepares for crunch EU summit
11 October 2019
iNews
Charles Grant, a fellow member of the Brussels press pack who now runs the Centre for European Reform, tells i that Mr Johnson was considered more a figure of fun than a threat to the European establishment. “He was cheerful and he was funny,” Mr Grant says. “People thought he was pretending to be eurosceptic because of his career. Nobody thought he was going to become prime minister! His prime purpose was to entertain - and to get on the front page of the Telegraph.”
No escaping an arms export policy
10 October 2019
Berlin Policy Journal
Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen is “enthusiastically working toward a defense union.” Without a co-ordinated stance on European arms exports, this could prove difficult.
European Parliament, flexing muscle, rejects France's Commission nominee
10 October 2019
The New York Times
Camino Mortera-Martinez, a researcher at the London-based Centre for European Reform, said, “The Parliament never misses an opportunity to flex its muscle, but it was a misstep by Macron to put forward a candidate that he didn’t think was OK to be in his own government.”
La ofensiva mediática de Londres suscita dudas sobre sus intenciones ante el Brexit
10 October 2019
France 24
En opinión de Charles Grant, director del instituto de reflexión Centre for European Reform, el uso de este tono beligerante es un error."Hacer este tipo de amenazas vacías no es realmente una forma de conseguir lo que se quiere en la UE", afirma.