Press
A customs union beckons — and it won't stop trade deals
31 March 2019
The Sunday Times
As the trade expert Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform says he is now tired of pointing out, being in a customs union with the EU does not require Britain to sign up to the EU’s common commercial policy, under which it negotiates trade deals with other countries.
Brexit uncertainty shrinks UK economy and costs country £360m per week
31 March 2019
The National
The UK economy is 2.5 per cent smaller than it would have been had the country voted to remain in the European Union, with a knock-on effect to public finances of £360 million (Dh1.7 billion) a week, according to the Centre for European Reform.The cost exceeds the false assertion by the "leave" campaign in the run-up to the Brexit referendum in 2016 that being a member of the EU costs the country £350m a week to support the National Health Service – the government agency providing healthcare services in the UK.
The reality of Britain's role in the global trading system after Brexit remains deeply uncertain
30 March 2019
The Independent
Continuity agreements are in place with a small number of countries but replicating the arrangements that Britain currently benefits from will be the overriding priority throughout the transition period - if there is one - and beyond.
How China is planting its flag in Europe - and why it's bad news for Italy and France
30 March 2019
The Telegraph
“There is concern about the [Huawei communications infrastructure] 5G issue. At the same time German industry has a somewhat divided position in that they don’t want the government interfering and deciding to brand things as nationally critical technology meaning that they can’t then sell things very easily,” says Ian Bond, of the Centre for European Reform.
Un ‘brexit’ sin acuerdos, a lo que se está arriesgando el Reino Unido
30 March 2019
El Tiempo
Christian Odendahl, jefe economista del Centre for European Reform, explicó a este diario que “la UE, y con seguridad Alemania, se asegurarán de evitar una salida brutal, aunque forzarán al Reino Unido a participar en las elecciones europeas”.Todos los gobiernos europeos prefieren la salida acordada, pero la incertidumbre y la impaciencia van endureciendo las posturas. Francia lidera esa línea más dura.
RTÉ Radio 1: Morning Ireland
29 March 2019
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform spoke to RTÉ Radio 1: Morning Ireland about the Brexit chaos.
Angst and anger reign on the Brexit day that wasn't
29 March 2019
Euronews
The EU announced this week that it believes it is "increasingly likely" the UK will fail to reach any deal at all. "They don't trust the UK political class not to screw up," Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform think tank, tweeted Thursday.
Is Europe ready for the next crisis?
29 March 2019
Barron's
Christian Odendahl, a Berlin-based economist at the Centre for European Reform, says that because the tools, both fiscal and monetary, currently being used are limited, it’s time to invent new ones. He suggests, for example, that the central bank break free of its lone and strict mandate—an inflation target at “below but close to 2%—and deliberately overshoot, which would legitimize even more monetary stimulus.
It’s been exactly two years since we triggered Article 50 – and what an utter mess it’s been since
29 March 2019
The Independent
By the government’s own estimates, the prime minister’s deal would leave our economy 3.9 per cent smaller than it would have been by 2030, while a report by the Centre for European Reform put the cost of Brexit at £25bn annually – or £500m a week and £71.43m daily. Imagine what our hospitals and schools could do with over £70m more per day.
BBC Radio 4: The Briefing Room: Britain's future
28 March 2019
With the route of the UK’s departure from the European Union still unclear, this week David Aaronovitch looks at Britain’s place in the world and assesses what lies ahead in the next stage of negotiations with the EU. Joining David in the Briefing Room are: Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, Sam Lowe, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Reform, Meg Russell, Director of the Constitutional Unit at University College London and Stefanie Bolzen, London Correspondent of German newspaper, Welt.
The full Meaningful Vote 3 still seems doomed in parliament
28 March 2019
The Finacial Times
John Springford of the Centre for European Reform doubts a customs union plan is sustainable in the long run. “For a lot of Conservative MPs, sovereignty matters and a permanent customs union means we would have the EU determining our tariff and quota policy. It may scrape over the line — but I’m not sure it’s a done deal.”
Brexit: Rolled-over UK free trade deals 'are incomplete'
28 March 2019
BBC News
Sam Lowe, a trade expert from the Centre for European Reform, agreed. "A big part of the problem is that DIT has continually oversold both its capacity to replicate the existing agreements and the nature of those it has managed to replace. "If the government had been a little more honest from the start, then it might not have come as such a surprise to many people and businesses when they fell short," he said.
CER podcast: Europe after Brexit
27 March 2019
Sophia Besch asks Ian Bond to reflect on the CER's 2016 predictions about the effect of Brexit on future EU policy. How do they stand up now, on the eve of the UK’s departure?
Life after Brexit
26 March 2019
The Financial Times
The CER's Sam Lowe on why the real Brexit negotiations haven't even started yet: "In practice, the majority of civil service time and effort will continue to be spent on the arduous process of replacing the 40 or so trade agreements the UK currently has by virtue of its EU membership.The UK will probably, at least initially, continue its quest to find a halfway house that delivers both an independent trade policy and an all-UK approach to Northern Ireland."
Channel 4 News: May's last-ditch dash to Brussels to salvage her Brexit deal
21 March 2019
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform joins Gary Gibbon to discuss the possible next steps in the Brexit negoitations (from 15:50 mins).
The Zeitgeist: German and European security at a crossroads
21 March 2019
In this episode of The Zeitgeist, Dr Jana Puglierin (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e.V. ) and Sophia Besch (Centre for European Reform ) join Jeff Rathke to talk about the direction Germany’s security policy is taking. They cover four fundamental questions: What is Germany’s role in European security? Are the changes in German policy adequate for the changing international security environment? How are Germany and France seeking to strengthen their co-operation? And how can the United States and Germany manage their frictions in the interest of a stronger transatlantic relationship?
Emmanuel Macron and France hang tough as Brexit date looms
21 March 2019
Financial Times
“All through the Brexit process they [the French] have been the hardest of the hard, and on this issue of the extension they are playing the hardest to get,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform. “They have got harder on this in the last few weeks because of fears about the European election, and the idea that the Brexit business will pollute the domestic campaign.”
Bruxelles offre deux mois au Brexit si l'accord de divorce est voté
21 March 2019
Deutsche Welle
Pour Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, chercheuse au Centre for European Reform, il en va de la légitimité même du Parlement Européen."Il y a une certaine inquiétude que si le Royaume-Uni ne participe pas aux élections européennes mais qu'il reste encore membre de l’UE lors de la première session parlementaire, certains remettront en question la validité de la composition du parlement européen. Et cela remettrait donc en cause la légitimité de toutes les décisions futures du Parlement Européen."
The Spectator Podcast: Have chances of a no-deal Brexit increased?
21 March 2019
Charles Grant director of the CER talks to Katy Balls about the probability of Britain leaving the EU without a deal, he argues that it is very unlikely, because both Parliament and the European Council will try to prevent no deal.
Channel 4 News: Brussels exerts control over Brexit
20 March 2019
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform spoke to Matt Frei about what happens next in the Brexit process.