Press
Jacob Rees-Mogg asks minister if civil servants are trying to sabotage Brexit
01 February 2018
The Huffington Post
In an extraordinary exchange in the Commons on Thursday, Rees-Mogg asked Baker to confirm whether he had been told Treasury staff had deliberately skewed analyses to show all scenerios apart from remaining in the Customs Union would be bad for the UK economy. “Will he confirm that he heard from Charles Grant, from the Centre For European Reform, that officials in the Treasury had deliberately developed a model to show that all options other than staying in the Customs Union were bad, and that officials intended to use this to influence policy?” the hardline Brexiteer asked.
Statement regarding comments by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker in House of Commons
01 February 2018
The CER would like to provide the following clarification following an exchange in the House of Commons involving Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the DexEU which mentioned CER director Charles Grant.
Italy's election is no game-changer
31 January 2018
Financial Times
Luigi Scazzieri at the Centre for European Reform thinks that even if populists of any stripe get into power in Italy, it won't change much for the course of eurozone and EU policy.
CER podcast: Brexit negotiations phase 2: The politics of regulatory alignment
31 January 2018
Charles Grant talks to Sophia Besch about how the EU-27 view the British idea of a bespoke post-Brexit partnership based on regulatory alignment.
Is Jersey's EU relationship the key to Brexit success?
31 January 2018
Jersey Evening Post
John Springford and Sam Lowe, of the Centre for European Reform, have proposed that by emulating the Island’s trade relationship with the EU, the UK government could resolve the Irish border issue and secure enough bargaining power to apply tighter immigration controls, which are two key Brexit issues.
Italian elections likely to ensure ongoing political instability
31 January 2018
The Irish Times
“Hopes that Italy could be the third engine of a Franco-German partnership to renew the EU are probably mistaken,” writes Luigi Scazzieri of the Centre for European Reform. “No matter what happens on March 4th, tensions between the new government and the EU are assured.”
Brexit: A view from Warsaw
30 January 2018
Policy Network
Poland has a lot of skin in the game when it comes to ensuring a good Brexit deal.
Angela Merkel wants to punish Britain because she's worried more countries will quit EU if we get a good deal
29 January 2018
The Sun
According to the influential Centre for European Reform think-tank it is France, Germany and the EU Commission that are opposed to a good deal. ...CER Director Charles Grant said UK officials have noted that “several member-states are uncomfortable with the hard line taken by France, Germany and the Commission”. Meanwhile, bureaucrats in Berlin and Paris fear that they are becoming increasingly isolated due to their tough approach, meaning it will be “harder for France and Germany to get their way” in the second phase.
Data errors undermine UK emphasis on services, says ONS
29 January 2018
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said the ONS data raise the question: “What if we aren’t the powerhouse in services, what if we’re not as good as we think and we’re putting all our negotiating eggs in the [services] basket?”
UK will not be able to block new EU laws during Brexit transition, says Barnier – as it happened
29 January 2018
The Guardian
This Centre for European Reform briefing explains this issue in more detail. Here is an excerpt from the report, written by Sam Lowe."As well as binding the UK to the EU’s single market and customs union, the draft proposal seeks to ensure that the UK continues to apply the bloc’s external tariff rates and performs the same border checks with non-EU countries. This could easily result in a scenario in which UK exporters are no longer able to take advantage of the EU’s existing free trade agreements, but exporters located in countries with EU FTAs [free trade agreements] would continue to benefit from preferential access to the UK market on the same terms as now.
Użycie artykułu 7 wobec Polski coraz mniej prawdopodobne
29 January 2018
Rzeczpospolita
Dodatkowo poza Polską problemy mają też inne kraje. Tradycyjnie Węgry, ale teraz Komisja jest poważnie zaniepokojona reformą wymiaru sprawiedliwości w Rumunii. Do tego dochodzi skorumpowana Bułgaria i Czechy, gdzie premierem może zostać człowiek oskarżany o defraudację unijnych funduszy. – Są kraje, które same mają problem z praworządnością i nie będą głosowały przeciwko Polsce. A są takie, które uważają, że to nieskuteczny instrument – uważa Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, ekspertka think tanku CER. Według niej polski rząd w krótkim terminie wygra, bo nie będzie większości 22 państw za uruchomieniem artykułu 7.
Swiss lessons on life outside the EU
25 January 2018
Financial Times
Forget “managed divergence”, the UK is better off striking a deal on goods after Brexit, write John Springford and Sam Lowe in their recent article 'Holding out hope for a half-way Brexit house', for the CER.
Channel 4 News: Brexit transition: Exclusive view of negotiating guidelines report
25 January 2018
Charles Grant told Gary Gibbon of Channel 4 News that the UK will have to accept the transition on the EU's terms.
Can Britain hit the reset button on Brexit?
25 January 2018
Bloomberg Businessweek
According to Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, one of the goals of EU negotiators is to push May to explain the reality of Brexit to voters. “The second phase of the withdrawal negotiations, for the EU, is about forcing the UK to acknowledge the inherent trade-offs that come with Brexit,” says Lowe. “There is a hope that when and if they do come clean, then there will be a moment where the country goes, ‘Ah. Do we actually want to do this?’ ”
Brexit briefing: Holding out hope for a halfway Brexit house
24 January 2018
Financial Times
“The UK is considering ‘managed divergence’ from EU rules, which the 27 will reject. A better strategy would be to remain in the customs union and single market for goods,” wrote John Springford and Sam Lowe at the Centre for European Reform.
CER Bulletin podcast: Trade post Brexit; EU vs Poland; Trump's foreign policy
24 January 2018
In the CER Bulletin podcast, CER researchers brief podcast listeners on three of the most important topics for Europe this month.
Lord Mandelson secretly approached 'deeply committed' EU offering Brexit help
22 January 2018
The Express
Speaking last year at a Centre for European Reform event in Brussels shortly after the EU’s chief negotiator, Lord Mandelson said many Brexiteers wanted to move out of Europe’s sphere of influence and would be “very happy for Britain to become a regulatory satellite of the US” in the future. He said: “There is a political stand-off in the Cabinet between soft leavers and clean breakers and as a result, Mrs May is unable to get agreement to the negotiating guidelines that she needs for any future trade deal.
Macron sets out UK's Brexit options as businesses lean on May
22 January 2018
Bloomberg
“I think he [Macron] has - unwittingly or not - softened France’s position on future relationship,” Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said on Twitter. “UK can have a deal that is between full access to single market and a trade accord and this can include financial services.”
More calls to stay in the customs union
22 January 2018
Financial Times
As Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform tweeted at the weekend: “The chances of UK staying in the CU are growing — and not just because of movement in the CBI and Labour Party. Several cabinet ministers remain keen and one Leaver cabinet minister told me recently that he could live with staying in CU, though that wouldn’t be his preference.”
CBI boss Carolyn Fairbairn calls for UK to stay in customs union
21 January 2018
The Telegraph
Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform think-tank added the idea was one of the few “half-way house models” to have gained serious consideration on the European side. “Not only does it bind the UK to EU’s regulatory model in areas such as product standards and food safety, it also has the added benefit of resolving the Irish border conundrum.