Press
The death of the European dream
18 May 2010
Financial Times
While the EU's foreign admirers are on the defensive, international eurosceptics are in the ascendancy. Charles Grant, head of the Centre for European Reform, a pro-EU think tank, says he has been struck on his recent travels by the growing disdain for Europe in Delhi, Beijing and Washington. "We're seen as locked into permanent economic and demographic decline, and our pretensions to hard power are treated with contempt," he laments.
NATO urged to look beyond borders
17 May 2010
New York Times
A separate report, published this month by the Centre for European Reform in London, says NATO needs to address the security concerns of newer members in central and eastern Europe. … "Some of the allies worry that NATO would not be able to come to their defence in a crisis," said Tomas Valasek, one of the authors of the London report, who also was a civilian adviser to Ms Albright's group.
New UK government unlikely to oppose Turkey's EU bid
17 May 2010
Today’s Zaman
Speaking to Today’s Zaman, Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform (CER), raised questions on "big uncertainty" about the EU policies of the new government because the two coalition partners have opposing views. "Both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems are pro-EU enlargement and that includes Turkey," she said.
Europe: Danger zone
16 May 2010
Financial Times
"The eurozone is on an unsustainable path, notwithstanding the latest package of measures," says Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform think tank. "That is no fault of the markets. It is the result of the gap between European rhetoric and reality."
Germans turn against the EU as eurozone meltdown heaps misery on Angela Merkel
16 May 2010
The Telegraph
But Charles Grant, of the Centre for European Reform, says the German political class's deep-seated commitment to Europe has not changed. "Germany is becoming a more unilateralist, nationalist partner," he says. "But ultimately the German political elite will do whatever is necessary to save the EU, and although the parties are pretending to be nationalistic they will go along. There is no chance that the popular will can break through – the German system is much more elite-driven."
Tory Euroscepticism is being sidelined
14 May 2010
The Guardian
For those of us who hope Britain will engage constructively with the EU, the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is good news.
EU, under threat, shows new urgency in crisis
14 May 2010
Reuters
"Europe faces a critical choice between greater integration and disintegration," Simon Tilford, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform think tank, wrote this week. "Unless the reality is brought into line with the rhetoric, the eurozone will unravel."
In first move, Cameron is neighbourly to Europe
14 May 2010
New York Times
"Policy won't change significantly on substance," said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, "they will try to be constructive. But there are plenty of issues that will have the Conservative Eurosceptics frothing at the mouth, and that will put pressure on the coalition."… "I think this suits Cameron, because he can say to the right of his party: 'I have done a couple of things on Europe.
EU changes will require a lifestyle shift
14 May 2010
The Wall Street Journal
Charles Grant, with the Centre for European Reform, a pro-EU think tank based in London, told the conference that Europe faces "five years of ghastly crisis of blaming each other and a lack of solidarity… It's going to be brutal and nasty and it will force through harsh, harsh reforms. In 10 years, we will be seeing the benefits of that."
Europa und Großbritannien: "Wie soll das funktionieren?"
13 May 2010
Die Presse.com
Nirgendwo klaffen die Positionen zwischen den britischen Konservativen und Liberaldemokraten weiter auseinander als in der Europapolitik. In der Koalitionsvereinbarung ist dem Thema ein eigenes Kapital gewidmet.
Political shift in Britain reflects Europe's rightward tilt
13 May 2010
Los Angeles Times
"In many European countries, people believe that parties on the centre-right are more capable of dealing with the economy than the centre-left," said Clara O'Donnell, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in London. "They basically seem to believe that the centre-right is more capable of getting through the economic crisis."… "The centre-left has found it very difficult to find a narrative to attract voters," said O'Donnell, the London researcher. "In a lot of countries, the centre-left is in disarray."
Estonian euro may trigger upgrade, Moody’s, Fitch say
13 May 2010
Bloomberg Businessweek
New euro states are likely to be less generous in accepting fiscal indiscretions from the bloc's older members, such as Greece, as they demand that the same stringent budget policies that they pushed through in order to join be enforced across the region, according to Katinka Barysch, chief economist at the London-based Centre for European Reform. "As more of these new member states join the single currency they will be very strict on the old member states," Barysch said in an interview with Bloomberg Television today.
Tories set for clash with EU on banking laws
12 May 2010
EurActiv
"In this whole area of financial services, UK-EU relations could blow up," according to Philip Whyte, a UK-based analyst from the Centre for European reform. … "The Lib Dems will likely try to reign in Euroscepticism coming from their Conservative partners but they will not be shaping the UK's EU policy." Whyte also points out that the Tory electorate is still smarting from the fact that they did not have a referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty last year, serving to fuel their hostility to the bloc even more.
EU hopes British Lib Dems will rein in Tory europhobes
12 May 2010
EUbusiness
"It's the best possible result for the EU because Cameron doesn't have his hands tied by the hardline eurosceptics in his own party, it was a great result for the status quo," said Hugo Brady, analyst at the Centre for European Reform.
Sarkozy emerges buoyed from euro rescue effort
12 May 2010
Mercury News
Simon Tilford, chief economist at the European Centre for Reform, noted that the plan for the euro included "some elements of the French model" such as a greater need for intervention and regulation…. The French "were very quick to recognize how serious the situation was and that does contrast with one or two other governments, notably Germany." But he added, "I find the rhetoric coming out of France, with its attack on the markets as the reason behind the downfall of the eurozone, quite problematic.
Europe shows Britain coalitions can work
12 May 2010
Reuters
Hugo Brady, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said coalitions could be short-lived because they were often formed to get a country through periods of instability but pointed out that was not always the case. "With the right leader they can be very stable creations once they get over an 18-month to two-year period in which all their frailties are exposed," Brady said. "Power becomes addictive, the partners become hooked on it, and they stay on."
Backlash over UK stance on euro bail-out
11 May 2010
Financial Times
But Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said there was increasing anti-British feeling across the EU, fuelled by the belief that Britain had allowed its currency to depreciate to gain a competitive advantage. "People are fed up with the British; we are deeply unpopular," Mr Grant said, warning that it would not be easy for the UK to find allies to help it on issues such as trying to revise an EU directive on hedge funds. "Nobody will owe us any favours," he said.
Managing in a crisis, EU style
11 May 2010
Reuters
"The problem here is the recurring inability in the European project to say brutal truths honestly and clearly and act on them in a realistic manner," said Hugo Brady, an analyst at the Centre for European Reform, referring to a previous last-minute summit. "Doing just enough to survive the political day is a habit born of EU leaders involved in summitry," he said, adding: "Eventually the EU is going to hit a crisis that it can't get over."
German EU-weariness weighs on Merkel
11 May 2010
Wtop
"The country's political elite is still wedded to the European project even though Germany is no longer willing to pay over the odds to make European compromises possible," said Katinka Barysch, an analyst at the London-based Centre for European Reform think tank, in a research note. "The risk is that the Greek crisis brings a latent sense of frustration and disillusionment with the EU to the boil", she said. "It is hard to see how the EU could make progress on anything ...
EU bailout sparks new challenge: Enforcing fiscal rigor in eurozone
10 May 2010
The Wall Street Journal
But putting changes into effect that would give the European Commission or other governments real control over national budgets is easier said than done, says Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform in London. Governments "are going to say all the right things." … "This isn't an issue that's going to be resolved by one or two governments getting tough on public spending," he says.