Press
Why Keir Starmer must revamp Labour's trade strategy
28 April 2020
Prospect
The world is facing a combination of US-China trade wars and new export restrictions on essential supplies thanks to Covid-19. Added to that the British government is in the process of Brexit.
UK will need to extend Brexit transition, Merkel ally warns Britain
26 April 2020
The Observer
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, who is regularly in touch with diplomats in EU capitals, said: “It will be very hard for both sides to reach the outlines of a free trade agreement by autumn, or indeed by June, which is when the PM wants to take a decision on whether it is worth pursuing a free trade agreement.
Brexit talks resume: who is involved and what is being covered?
24 April 2020
The Guardian
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform thinktank, believes an extension is inevitable but Johnson has “no incentive” to seek one until June, the deadline for a one-off UK request.
“A free-trade agreement could still be agreed but it would be hard to implement. Even if we were coming to the end of this pandemic by then, businesses will be not be prepared,” said Lowe, who described himself as optimistic that a free-trade deal could be done by the end of the year, albeit a poor one.
“A free-trade agreement could still be agreed but it would be hard to implement. Even if we were coming to the end of this pandemic by then, businesses will be not be prepared,” said Lowe, who described himself as optimistic that a free-trade deal could be done by the end of the year, albeit a poor one.
Judy Asks: Should Europe have common debt?
23 April 2020
Carnegie Europe
How to deal with the economic costs of the coronavirus is dividing the eurozone countries once again.
How Germany was able to flatten the curve
23 April 2020
The New European
Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform in Berlin, put it like this: The “Anglo-Saxon idolising of Merkel is a bit pathetic, but understandable,” Odendahl’s scathing comment on Twitter went: “The political leadership of both the US and the UK is a parody, and so you are naturally drawn to the polar opposite – which is Merkel.”
CER podcast: What does COVID-19 mean for the EU-UK trade talks?
22 April 2020
Charles Grant and Sam Lowe discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on the EU-UK trade talks, and whether the pandemic will lead to the transition period being extended, taking into account the arguments for and against.
10 things to change after corona
21 April 2020
The Chosunilbo
The corona crisis put the EU (European Union) vulnerable back into the test, after weakened by Brexit (the British withdrawal from the European Union). In particular, the imbalance in the EU is deepening as southern Europe, which has suffered economic crises such as Italy and Spain, has been hit harder by Corona. Southern Europe has already paralyzed the real economy from massive national debt. If any country in southern Europe collapses, it means a retreat in European integration.
Coronavirus: EU struggling to show solidarity in face of ‘existential’ crisis
21 April 2020
The Parliament Magazine
The EU’s response to COVID-19 has given plenty of ammunition to its opponents. Frontiers have been closed and supply chains broken as countries have put their own needs first.
The case for a Brextension
21 April 2020
Financial Times
EU and UK Brexit negotiators held their latest round of virtual talks on Monday. Samuel Lowe at the Centre for European Reform makes the case for both sides to agree a maximum two-year extension that can be ended early if a future relationship deal is agreed after the pandemic.
Here's how the UK should work with EU to combat coronavirus and end the lockdown
16 April 2020
The Telegraph
As the coronavirus pandemic continues its rampage around Europe, neither the British government nor the EU plans to extend the transition period.
Cómo debe la UE coordinar la salida del confinamiento
16 April 2020
El Pais
Los gobiernos europeos esperan que las ‘apps’ de rastreo de casos les permitan relajar el confinamiento.
Pandemic across Europe - Data rush
15 April 2020
Financial Times
John Springford at the Centre for European Reform thinks tracing technologies are a prerequisite for post-lockdown life but warns that without mass testing in member states, they may still prove ineffective: “To avoid further mass outbreaks, member states must first continue to build testing capacity and develop contact tracing systems. Only then can they slowly ease restrictions, in order to determine the effects of different interventions on infection rates. The EU can help to ensure that all member states have the tests and technology to be able to do so, exchange information between them about what works and what does not, and ensure that citizens’ privacy is respected.”
UK resists calls for Brexit transition extension despite Covid-19 crisis
15 April 2020
Global Trade Review
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER) think-tank and a committee member of the UK Trade Forum, pointed out in January that even if a free trade deal was agreed in time, that would still likely result in the immediate introduction of new barriers to trade.
Il tracciamento, anonimo, è realizzabile, ma senza una politica di test di massa non ha senso
14 April 2020
EU News
Un paper di John Springford, vice direttore del Centre for European Reform, i governi europei sperano che le app possano consentire di allentare i blocchi. Ma molto lavoro deve essere fatto a livello sia nazionale che europeo prima che le restrizioni possano essere alleviate.
Coronavirus crisis revives Franco-German relations
13 April 2020
Financial Times
“It is clear that they are not on the same page yet when it comes to the recovery fund,” said Christian Odendahl, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform. “The divide is still there.” Or, as one German official put it, “We agreed to disagree”.
After coronavirus: How will Europe rebuild?
12 April 2020
The Guardian
Coronavirus has given hope to those who wish to see the EU stumble. Countries have put their own needs first and trust among governments has diminished.
Merkel's crisis stimulus is already seeping into the grateful German economy
12 April 2020
Independent (Ireland)
"It seems surprising how quickly the German government is responding, but at the same time it's completely in line with what it has professed for years about maintaining fiscal prudence in good times in order to spend when it's needed," said Christian Odendahl, chief economist for the London-based Centre for European Reform.
Las dos fases económicas del coronavirus
09 April 2020
ES Global
Las autoridades europeas deben contrarrestar los enormes costes de la contención del virus y, al mismo tiempo, mantener una deuda sostenible en todos los Estados miembros de la eurozona.
CER podcast: The EU, the US and China: Irresponsible stakeholders in the global order?
08 April 2020
The EU, the US and China are the most important economic blocs in the world. But trade, political and security relations between them are becoming dangerously tense. Can the EU calm things down?
EU pledges billions to 'partner countries' but unable to agree on pandemic support for its own members
08 April 2020
CNS News
“The EU’s initial belated and chaotic response and its failure to coordinate has weakened its reputation and provided fertile ground for euroskeptics,” said Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.