Press
No-deal hype obscures the real threat of a bad Brexit
18 September 2020
Financial Times
This is a harder Brexit than most supporters voted for in 2016, and a harder Brexit than many people can make sense of now. After so many threats of catastrophe over the past four years, businesses have “boy who cried wolf” syndrome, says Sam Lowe, of the Centre for European Reform think-tank. But the bumps are coming.
After fire at refugee camp, Europe faces a reckoning
18 September 2020
The New York Times
“The fire at Moria has shifted public attention to the dire conditions of Greece’s refugee camps,’’ said Camino Mortera-Martinez, a senior analyst with the Centre for European Reform, a think tank, noting that the problem is not new.
CER podcast: What does the 2020 SOTEU speech reveal about the EU's ambition?
18 September 2020
In this year's State of the Union address, Ursula von der Leyen laid out her plans for the EU's transition "from fragility to a new vitality".
Agenda Exterior: la UE de Von der Leyen
17 September 2020
POLÍTICA EXTERIOR
Con un discurso bastante largo, creo que Von der Leyen se dirigió especialmente a los tres partidos que la sostienen en el Parlamento Europeo, con el objetivo de seguir manteniendo el apoyo del grupo socialista y del grupo liberal.
Europe's economic revival is imperiled, raising the specter of a grinding downturn
17 September 2020
The New York Times
“The rich countries have shown they are willing to put their credibility on the line to support the others,” said Christian Odendahl, the Berlin-based chief economist at the Centre for European Reform. “That will stabilize expectations about the European economy going forward.”
'Brexit' y los rebeldes de Johnson: La vida sigue igual
16 September 2020
El Periodico
El 'brexit' ha cambiado las reglas del tiempo y el espacio, de forma que las unidades de medida por las que nos regimos el resto de los mortales no parecen aplicarse a los políticos británicos.
Brexit Bulletin: What if Boris Johnson means it?
11 September 2020
Bloomberg
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform sees 10 potential consequences if the UK pushes ahead with its current plan.
Brexit warning: EU to unleash onslaught of 'torture weapons' to push UK into stand down
11 September 2020
Express
Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform said: "The real torture weapon isn't actually the thing in the Court of Justice, which I don't think will scare Boris Johnson too much."The real weapon of torture is the lack of a trade agreement, the economic impact on Britain, the psychological impact on the British economy of there not being any agreement, the impact on financial markets, which will react very, very negatively.
Brexit: EU will 'not be shy' in taking legal action if UK put Northern Ireland peace deal at risk
11 September 2020
Euronews
According to Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform (CER) think-tank, the UK government's draft bill, if passed by parliament, would have several consequences including a flare-up of violence on the Irish island, increased support for Scottish independence and a loss of legitimacy on the global stage with regards to respect for international law. He also predicts that London's relations with both Brussels and Washington will sour.
What no-deal Brexit means, how it might happen, and how it might affect daily life in the UK
10 September 2020
The Telegraph
Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, is confident that if the crunch comes EU member states will strike bilateral side-deals with the UK to cushion the blow. “For now the Commission is taking a strong line, but EU member states will have to look after their own interests”, he predicts.
Channel 4 News: EU threatens to take UK government to court over proposed changes to Brexit deal
10 September 2020
"The real weapon of torture is the lack of a trade agreement, the economic impact on Britain,
Why Boris Johnson is considering a no-deal Brexit for a bruised economy
08 September 2020
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform and an adviser to the UK government, says a no-deal exit would also complicate other aspects of Britain’s dealings with the EU, tarnishing relations for years to come.
Brexit revelation: Trade expert exposes Boris Johnson's brutal threat to Brussels
07 September 2020
Express
Commenting today, Sam Lowe, senior researcher for the Centre for European Reform revealed the UK is not attempting to “renege” on the agreement.Although he claimed the UK is not attempting to “renege” on the agreement, he said it is also a "risky" approach.
As Brexit deadlines loom, the posturing and bickering flare again
07 September 2020
The New York Times
“They would say: ‘You’re refusing to implement the agreement we already have. How we can negotiate a new agreement with you?’ ” said Sam Lowe, an expert on trade at the Centre for European Reform, a research group in London. British officials played down suggestions that they plan to rip up the agreement.
Brexit : «Un accord de libre-échange éviterait le chaos aux frontières»
07 September 2020
Liberation
Pour le chercheur Sam Lowe, le Royaume-Uni et l’Union européenne doivent s’éloigner de leurs positions initiales afin d’arriver à un compromis.
Navalny poisoning raises pressure on Merkel to cancel Russian pipeline
04 September 2020
The New York Times
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy for the Centre for European Reform and a former British diplomat in Moscow, said he expected Ms. Merkel would go first to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to investigate the poisoning, as Britain did after the Salisbury attack. After that she could raise the issue in the Security Council, the European Union and NATO.
Fears grow of a December Brexit without a trade deal
04 September 2020
The Economist
As Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, notes, the economic difference between a barebones trade deal and no deal is not all that large. A deal would avoid tariffs in sensitive sectors like cars, but in either case disruption from customs checks, lorry queues and intrusive non-tariff barriers would be substantial.
CER podcast: Tensions rising between Turkey and EU in Eastern Mediterranean
03 September 2020
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s regional ambitions and push for control of gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean have put Turkey on a collision course with the EU.
BBC Parliament: Wales and Brexit Committee
03 September 2020
Coverage of a Welsh Affairs Committee session taking evidence on the implications of Brexit for trade in Wales, with witnesses including Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group, Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform and Shanker Singham of Competere.
Brussels briefing: Around Europe
02 September 2020
Financial Times
Camino Mortera-Martinez at the Centre for European Reform thinks the EU’s chaotic border closings induced by the pandemic will damage but not ultimately kill off the Schengen passport-free area.