Press
UK-EU trade talks: The problems — and potential solutions
25 February 2020
Financial Times
“There will be a lot of noise and shouting but I think there will be a trade deal this year,” said Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform think-tank. “I just don’t think it will be a very good trade deal when you think of the disruption it will involve.”Mr Lowe added: “Both sides are pretty aligned on what they want.”
Belarus reset
25 February 2020
Financial Times
Khrystyna Parandii at the Centre for European Reform makes the case for the EU to restart its relations with Belarus as the country looks to distance itself from the Kremlin.
Poland’s judicial battle spreads confusion in EU
24 February 2020
Financial Times
“Once the rule of law is being undermined in one member state, other member-states can’t be certain the rights of their citizens and their companies will be adequately respected,” said Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, from the Centre for European Reform think-tank.
EU crippled: How bitter feuds between EU-27 could topple bloc in Brexit talks
22 February 2020
The Express
Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron's countries have come to blows over a number of issues in recent years, as highlighted by Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform. He highlights how, for example, Berlin did not consult Paris before agreeing to the Nord Stream gas pipeline opened in 2011.
Tok FM: Po rozwodzie. Jaka umowa Wielkiej Brytanii z UE?
20 February 2020
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska talks to TOK FM on the Brexit negotiations ahead and on the new migration package unveiled yesterday.
Podcast 5 News: What are the options for post-Brexit trade with the EU? What does 'Australia-style' mean?
20 February 2020
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow a the Centre for European Reform spoke to Andy Bell of Channel 5 news about what to expect next from the Brexit negotiations.
Business needs a transition period with the EU
19 February 2020
The Telegraph
From the EU’s perspective, there is a political argument to be made that Brexit should be seen to hurt.
The EU is in trouble and Ursula Von der Leyen is the wrong person to rescue it
18 February 2020
The Spectator
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform warns that France and Germany are increasingly operating unilaterally, each pursuing its national interest. “Germany,” he points out, “did not consult its EU partners over its support for the Nord Stream 2 Russian gas pipeline, although it will increase the EU’s dependency on Russian energy and cause tensions with the US.”
What if Trump wins? Europeans fear a more permanent shift against them
18 February 2020
The New York Times
European leadership remains weak and divided, noted Sophia Besch, an analyst in the Berlin office of the Centre for European Reform. “We talk a lot about US leadership but not enough about European leadership,” she said.
Bloomberg Westminster: Wales under water
17 February 2020
Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price joins us from flood-hit Pontypridd where he says many of those affected are still in a state of shock. He calls for hardship support for the large number of people who have lost everything and are uninsured. Plus, Charles Grant director of the Centre for...
Sustaina Babble: #166: Chlorine Chicken
17 February 2020
Sam Lowe from the Centre for European Reform joins us to defend his fascination with one of the nerdiest subjects in the world and patiently explain why it’s actually quite important.
How Hungary's sledging hill with no snow may reshape EU budgets
16 February 2020
The Telegraph
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, the EU policy special at the Centre for European Reform in Brussels says that the Commission’s ‘conditionality’ proposal will survive in some form - but it is not yet clear exactly what will remain, once the haggling over the budget heats up.“The risk is that ‘rule of law’ conditionality will become a bargaining chip in the negotiating end-game, traded away for other concessions rather than being treated on its merits,” she warned in a discussion paper last month.
Brexit boost: How Boris Johnson could sign US trade deal ‘promise’ before November
16 February 2020
The Express
Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform said: “I think the chances of a real proper free trade agreement between the UK and the US in the next year or two are absolutely minimal.”He continued: “I’m very sceptical that you could move quickly.
Talk Radio: Post-Brexit trade deals
16 February 2020
The Centre for European Reform's Sam Lowe discusses post-Brexit trade deals: "Everything we buy from the EU will be more expensive than it was before, even if tariffs are zero, because there will be new customs procedures and new bureaucracy."
'Global Britain' goes missing at Munich security summit
16 February 2020
The Financial Times
Sophia Besch, a defence and security specialist at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said Britain was still trying to figure out what global Britain meant. “Maybe the thinking was that there wasn’t a new high level message,” she said. “But in the debates on China and technology, a high-level UK voice would have been valuable.”
CER podcast: Europe and Libya
12 February 2020
The conflict in Libya is spiralling out of control despite the recent Berlin conference. Beth Oppenheim and Luigi Scazzieri discuss why Europe has struggled to influence Libya, and how the conflict may evolve.
Why traditional freeports won’t work in the UK
11 February 2020
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, at the Centre for European Reform, says the case for establishing freeports is often much clearer in developing countries, where the environment for doing business may be more difficult, with higher tariffs and bigger bureaucratic obstacles. “You can see value in countries that have real rule of law and governance issues, an unwieldy business system, lots of patronage . . . You can make a much better argument for them in a developing context.”
British services have played second fiddle in the Brexit debate
11 February 2020
The UK in a Changing Europe
In 2018, services accounted for 46 per cent of UK exports, or £297 billion. The EU received 40 per cent of British services exports, and was the origin of 48 per cent of British services imports, the highest proportion of any UK trading partner.
Merkel succession crisis in Germany leaves Europe leaderless, too
11 February 2020
The New York Times
“We’ve been living off our past glories and achievements for a while, and slow to adapt to digitalization and AI and even the ‘Green Deal,’” said Sophia Besch, of the Berlin office of the Centre for European Reform.
Merkel succession crisis in Germany leaves Europe leaderless, too
11 February 2020
The New York Times
Nor has Germany been prepared “to suffer economic pain for political and foreign-policy gains," said Christian Odendahl, a German economist with the Centre for European Reform in Berlin. “And this is now a Germany feeling economically insecure about its future.”