Press
FT Podcast: How Russia's Ukraine threat galvanised western alliances
17 February 2022
After a week of frenetic diplomacy, the Ukraine crisis has yet to be resolved. But it has had a significant impact on reshaping western alliances. Gideon Rachman talks to Charles Grant, director of the CER about the impact of the Russian threat on US ties with Europe, and on Nato and the EU.
Jacob Rees-Mogg claims Brexit has been 'extremely beneficial' as trade plummets
17 February 2022
The National
In October, the Office for Budget Responsibility reported that both imports and exports with the EU had been affected by Brexit and that both were on track to end up 15% lower as a result of the UK leaving the EU.
It cited a study from the Centre for European Reform, which warned that month that the UK's trade in goods with the EU was 15.7% – equating to £12.6bn – lower than it would have been without Brexit.
It cited a study from the Centre for European Reform, which warned that month that the UK's trade in goods with the EU was 15.7% – equating to £12.6bn – lower than it would have been without Brexit.
Jacob Rees-Mogg says little evidence Brexit hit trade
17 February 2022
BBC News
The OBR said it was too early to know for sure because, for example, some of the barriers to trade agreed with the EU had not yet come into force.
It pointed to research from the Centre for European Reform, which concluded that in October 2021 the UK's trade in goods with the EU had been 15.7%, or £12.6bn lower, than it would have been without Brexit.
It pointed to research from the Centre for European Reform, which concluded that in October 2021 the UK's trade in goods with the EU had been 15.7%, or £12.6bn lower, than it would have been without Brexit.
CER podcast: The Russia-Ukraine crisis as seen from Kyiv and Paris
16 February 2022
Ian Bond speaks to Marie Dumoulin and Khrystyna Parandii about the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Europe is bracing for a possible huge influx of refugees if Russia attacks Ukraine
16 February 2022
CNBC
"A small incursion would not create a large flow of refugees," said Luigi Scazzieri, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank.
"But a large-scale invasion could potentially lead to millions of displaced. In terms of scale, it could look similar to 2015," when a million Syrians fled their country’s civil war, he said. "But we just don't know what Russia will do at this stage."
"But a large-scale invasion could potentially lead to millions of displaced. In terms of scale, it could look similar to 2015," when a million Syrians fled their country’s civil war, he said. "But we just don't know what Russia will do at this stage."
Europe's next climate challenge: Getting off Russian gas
15 February 2022
Grist
Over the past decade, “there were new LNG terminals built to reduce dependence on piped gas, and there have been new interconnectors to move LNG across the continent,” said Elisabetta Cornago, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in Brussels, Belgium. “But when it comes to helping households and businesses invest in energy efficiency, that’s where the pace has been very slow.”“How do we build an energy system in Europe that is decarbonized, stable, and affordable?” Cornago asked. “That’s the big question.”
Sky News: UK ready to impose some severe economic consequences on Russia
15 February 2022
Ian Bond said the UK should keep supporting the Ukrainians, who are best-placed to defend their country...but it's too late to be thinking about sending armed forces in.
European diplomacy and the crisis over Ukraine: Limited options and the cohesion test
14 February 2022
Aspenia Online
As Vladimir Putin demands a new security order in Europe and Russian troops mass along Ukraine’s borders, the threat of a major conflict on the continent is real.
Make content platforms pay for digital infrastructures, telecom CEOs say
14 February 2022
EurActiv
Zach Meyers, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reforms (CER), said, however, that “telecoms companies seem to be ignoring the fact that digital platforms are driving huge demand in telecoms networks – for example, many consumers are prepared to pay more for a 5G connection than a slower mobile network.”
Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline: The Stasi connection
12 February 2022
The Times
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, has described this process as “Russia reversing our plumbing”.
Com’è stato il primo anno dello European Peace Facility
12 February 2022
Linkiesta
«Alcuni Stati – spiega Megan Ferrando, ricercatrice del Centre for European Reform – hanno spinto per questo progetto, ma il fatto che i negoziati siano durati dal 2018 al 2021 mostra che c’era una grande divisione su come gestirlo. Paesi come l’Irlanda e i Paesi Bassi erano preoccupati per i potenziali impatti negativi, così hanno spinto per avere delle garanzie».
European Commission expands the radio spectrum available for 5G
10 February 2022
EurActiv
For Zach Meyers, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, the Commission’s decision on 5 GHz was a “low hanging fruit”. The real struggle is quietly taking place around the 6 GHz, a band so far primarily untouched by spectrum allocations.
Judy Asks: Do the Europeans trust France?
10 February 2022
Carnegie Europe
The issue is partly a question of motives, partly a question of process. French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly made surprising foreign policy pitches and in turn had to face criticism from partners who feel they should have been consulted.
DW News: Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France hold talks
10 February 2022
The hope for talks between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine would be to come to a diplomatic solution for the Russia-Ukraine crisis, says Sophia Besch.
CER podcast: Do states need to use more economic coercion to drive climate action?
04 February 2022
The first of two episodes from our economics conference on the politics of climate change.
The end of Italy's Mario Draghi illusion
02 February 2022
The Telegraph
“The whole process has been extremely painful. It revealed that there is no trust and that Draghi’s government is going to be internally unstable,” said Luigi Scazzieri from the Centre for European Reform.
Intel decision spells trouble for Vestager’s Google campaign
01 February 2022
Politico
“This ruling is likely to have an impact on how the court looks at other cases, like the pending Qualcomm exclusivity rebates case,” said Zach Meyers, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
The EU is facing many difficulties, but Brexit isn’t one of them
01 February 2022
The Guardian
The Centre for European Reform recently estimated that there has been an 11.2% negative impact on trade as a result of Brexit. The UK share of world trade has fallen by a further 15% compared to pre-referendum projections.
Covid has been an easy scapegoat for economic disruption, but Brexit is biting
31 January 2022
The Guardian
Well before the date of departure, work by John Springford at the Centre for European Reform showed that UK GDP was lagging behind its expected level. By September 2021, he had concluded that UK goods trade was 11.2%, or £8.5bn, lower than it would have been had the UK stayed in the EU’s single market and customs union.
Germany's Russia problem: Ukraine crisis tests new government
31 January 2022
Financial Times
“Germany has persuaded itself, with Russian encouragement, that it has a special relationship with Moscow and a special responsibility for preserving peace in Europe,” says Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. “And [it] sees Ukraine’s freely-expressed interest in getting closer to the west as a secondary issue.”