Britain & EU member-states
No, Spain is not 'different': It too needs a grand coalition
15 January 2016
After last month’s elections, where no party obtained an outright majority, Spain needs a grand coalition to secure constitutional reform and face the Catalan problem.
If the UK votes to leave: The seven alternatives to EU membership
12 January 2016
Post-Brexit, if Britain wants access to the single market, it must accept EU rules and free movement, and pay into its budget.
Has the euro been a failure?
11 January 2016
The euro has not been a positive economic and political force. But keeping the single currency together could still be less risky than dismantling it.
Cameron's security gamble: Is Brexit a strategic risk?
21 December 2015
Britain has shown its international ambitions with airstrikes in Syria and an important defence and security review. But the referendum on EU membership threatens Britain's interests.
The continental view of Cameron's renegotiation
16 December 2015
David Cameron’s insistence on excluding migrants from in-work benefits means that he cannot strike a deal on EU reform at this week’s summit.
Cameron's EU reforms: Will Europe buy them?
14 December 2015
At the European Council on 17 December David Cameron's reform proposals will get a mixed reception. Which ideas will get most backing, and from whom?
Bulletin Issue 105 - December 2015/January 2016
30 November 2015
- Britain, immigration and Brexit, Simon Tilford
- Adrift: The impact of the ECJ's Safe Harbour ruling, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Rem Korteweg
- Millstone or multiplier? EU foreign policy, Ian Bond
Adrift: The impact of the ECJ's Safe Harbour ruling
30 November 2015
The Court's decision to invalidate a transatlantic agreement on data flows could fragment the internet, harm Europe's digital single market and threaten the EU's geopolitical interests.
Britain, immigration and Brexit
30 November 2015
If the UK quits the EU, it will be because British politicians have pandered to anti-immigrant sentiment rather than addressing the supply-side failures that drive it.
China's European charm offensive: Silk Road or Silk Rope?
27 November 2015
China is building closer relations with European countries, offering investments to all. EU member-states should welcome China’s contribution, without abandoning European values and interests.
Merkel after Paris
20 November 2015
Merkel's relatively open and liberal stance on refugees makes it easier for her to respond robustly to the attacks in France through security and foreign policy.
In-work benefits for EU migrants: How the British government dug itself into a hole
10 November 2015
The UK could make both Britons and EU migrants wait four years before having access to in-work benefits, but the ECJ might still rule it illegal.
25 years on: How the euro's architects erred
05 November 2015
The original plans for the euro – conceived 25 years ago – suffered from five major flaws. Only some of these flaws have been fixed.
Changing the guard in Poland but not much change for Cameron?
28 October 2015
Poland’s new government may share Cameron’s euroscepticism, but it will not support all his reform ideas – especially if they discriminate against Poles.
Cameron's EU gamble: Five reforms he can win, and ten pitfalls he must avoid
23 October 2015
Cameron's package of EU reforms will not be exciting. He could lose the referendum, because of the EU's many problems and the weakness of Britain's pro-Europeans.
Power to the parliaments! But will Cameron's EU partners join his crusade?
16 October 2015
David Cameron wants parliaments to have a greater say in the EU. But member-states have little appetite to give national chambers powers to block Commission proposals.
EU foreign policy co-operation: A millstone or a multiplier for the UK?
12 October 2015
Submission to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee inquiry on the costs and benefits of EU membership for the UK's role in the world.
By participating actively in EU foreign policy co-operation, the UK can get 27 other countries to take co-ordinated actions aligned with British aims. It could...
By participating actively in EU foreign policy co-operation, the UK can get 27 other countries to take co-ordinated actions aligned with British aims. It could...
With or without you: Will Catalonia be Europe's next crisis?
30 September 2015
Catalonia’s elections caused more problems than they solved. Spain and Catalonia need to start a dialogue to reform Spain’s model of regional government. Otherwise, Catalonia will become Europe’s next crisis.
Issue 104 - 2015
25 September 2015
- Jeremy Corbyn and the rise of groupthink, John Springford
- Eastern mess: The EU's partners need attention, Ian Bond
- Will the eurozone reap what it has sown?, Simon Tilford
Jeremy Corbyn and the rise of groupthink
24 September 2015
Jeremy Corbyn's rise to the Labour leadership heralds an era of ideological contest that threatens Britain's membership of the EU – and the United Kingdom itself.