Press
Europe to Germany: Your eurocrisis 'answers' don't work for us
14 March 2012
The Christian Science Monitor
"The German answer so far is to revise previous rules to make stricter rules," says Philip Whyte of the CER. "Rules may help in the long term, but there's an immediate crisis in households and nations. Germans are sincere in the belief that Italy and Spain will benefit from reform. But austerity without growth reminds me of policies in the '30s: slashing spending as economies contract."
In a first, Europeans act to suspend aid to Hungary unless it cuts deficit
13 March 2012
The New York Times
"The decision to take a somewhat tougher line with Hungary, by threatening to suspend cohesion funds, is not a case of double standards," said Simon Tilford, the chief economist at the CER. "The Spanish have not been guilty of mismanaging their economy, whereas that can hardly be said of Hungary."
A recovery in Europe? Really?
09 March 2012
Reuters
"The case against Europe's growth strategy is that it is all supply and no demand," said Philip Whyte at the CER. "Fiscal policy is being tightened too rapidly. The more certain EU countries do to balance their budgets, the more output contracts," he said in a recent paper.
The power balance in Afghanistan
09 March 2012
The Times
Letter to the editor (The Times)Sir, You say that the situation in Afghanistan is "not chaos" [see leading article 8 March 2012]. This assertion does not ring true.
US disengagement from Europe 'will weaken NATO'
09 March 2012
Jane's Defence Weekly
The US disengagement from Europe is permanent, according to a new CER report
The US step-back from Europe, combined with the harsh current economic climate, will force NATO to rein in its ambitions, the report argues
The United States' strategic step-back from bearing the burden of NATO's power projection is...
The US step-back from Europe, combined with the harsh current economic climate, will force NATO to rein in its ambitions, the report argues
The United States' strategic step-back from bearing the burden of NATO's power projection is...
Syria: Getting Aid in and Assad Out
08 March 2012
Voice of Russia
A debate on the violence in Syria and asks whether world powers should assist the anti-government forces and provide more humanitarian aid to suffering civilians. He was joined by Edward Burke of the CER
How to wake Britain from sleepwalking to the EU exit
07 March 2012
Europe's world
History, geography and economics are all responsible for the UK’s deep-seated euroscepticism, says Charles Grant. But now these forces are strengthening so that Britain could easily leave the Union within 10 years. He sets out tactics for countering that.
Border control: How a fear of foreigners is gripping Europe when its economy needs them most
05 March 2012
Time Magazine
"At the time that Europe needs more market-driven reforms, the political climate for those kinds of reform has become very unfavorable," says Simon Tilford, chief economist of the CER in London. "People feel threatened."
Border control: How a fear of foreigners is gripping Europe when its economy needs them most
05 March 2012
Time Magazine
"For the last generation, the idea that European integration is the future was something you just didn't question," says Hugo Brady, a senior research fellow in Brussels at the CER.
Canny Belgian poised for second term at EU helm
01 March 2012
Agence France Presse
"If politics is the art of the possible, he's perfect," said analyst Hugo Brady of the CER. "If he wasn't there we'd miss him. We need a steady hand," he said. "He's contributed to the orderly holding of European Councils," or summits.
EU leaders hand Van Rompuy 2nd term as Council president, also name him head of euro summits
01 March 2012
The Washington Post
"I think he’s been as effective as he could have been, given the political constraints," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at London's CER. "He's managed to broker some compromises."
'Grey mouse' EU chairman picked for second term
01 March 2012
EU Observer
"On balance, he has done a good job. You have to think about what it would have been like during the crisis if the old system - of rotating presidencies every six months - had still been in place," said Hugo Brady of the CER.
When Europe's worries turn from financial to economic
01 March 2012
The Wall Street Journal
"Supply-side reforms, though necessary over the medium- to long term, are mostly irrelevant in the short term," says Philip Whyte of the CER in London. Though many governments see little alternative, Mr Whyte argues that fiscal policy is being tightened too rapidly.
Hollande takes campaign to London
29 February 2012
Financial Times
"I don't see any reason why Hollande, if elected, would create problems for Franco-British defence collaboration," says Charles Grant, director of the CER. "On defence, Germany is not as reliable a partner for France as the British are."
Le veto russe sur la Syrie n’est pas injustifié
28 February 2012
Le Temps
Sans doute Moscou fait-il de la realpolitik en s’opposant à un projet de résolution du Conseil de sécurité exigeant le départ de Bachar el-Assad. Toutefois, la diplomatie russe a raison de penser qu’un tel texte serait intenable. Avec le régime syrien, les Etats occidentaux ont tout fait de travers, estime...
Ireland to test voters' appetite for fiscal union
28 February 2012
Financial Times
"Other Europeans may be surprised to know how much euroscepticism has increased in Ireland because of the perception that Ireland was forced into a bail-out it did not actually need at the time," said Hugo Brady of the Centre for European Reform.
NATO to begin cyber security drive
28 February 2012
Financial Times
Tomas Valasek, of the CER said: "This shows that countries outside the US are now taking cyber seriously." He added that NATO had suffered security breaches in the past and that it needed to protect itself. "It is an obvious target as it is a military alliance included in a shooting war in Afghanistan and has peace building operations in Kosovo and off the coast of Somalia. One has to assume bad guys are after it," he said.
ECB to launch second wave of euro 'quantitative easing'
28 February 2012
The Guardian
"The ECB's December move to provide massively greater liquidity to the banking system was the single most important thing to happen in the eurozone last year," said Simon Tilford, chief economist at the CER. "This has bought time by easing the pressures on the banks, who in turn have bought more government debt – at least in Italy and Spain – than had looked likely."
Germany backs Greece aid, but at a cost to Merkel
27 February 2012
New York Times
"I still don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel," said Philip Whyte, of the CER. "It's not clear to me when Greece returns to growth under this policy mix. The fiscal policy is excessively tight, and Greece is being pushed down a totally self-defeating path."
Five tests that saved Britain from the fate of economic oblivion
27 February 2012
The Daily Telegraph
As Philip Whyte of the CER points out, "to propose such reforms as an answer to Europe's immediate growth problem is to miss the point: it is to provide a long-term [supply-side] answer to a short-term [demand-side] problem.