Britain & EU member-states
What a banking union means for Europe
05 December 2012
A full banking union is needed to stabilise the eurozone. However, even an embryonic union could drive a wedge between the eurozone and the EU-27.
How Britain could leave the EU
26 November 2012
Britain's departure from the EU grows ever more likely. David Cameron, the prime minister, wants Britain to stay in. But he seems set on a path that could lead to an exit.
Issue 87 - 2012
26 November 2012
- How Britain could leave the EU, Charles Grant
- Germany's opposition and the euro crisis, Katinka Barysch
- Eurozone: Trouble in the core?, Simon Tilford
Germany's opposition and the euro crisis
26 November 2012
Although Germany’s next general election is not scheduled until October 2013, the campaign started in earnest on 28 September 2012.
Much ado about little: Britain and the EU budget
07 November 2012
Britain is expending considerable political capital on freezing the EU budget. It would be best to push for reform of how the budget is spent.
Will the euro crisis lead to the break-up of EU member-states?
24 October 2012
The crisis is fuelling separatism in Spain and Belgium. But elsewhere in Europe separatists do poorly. Scotland's example may yet discourage others from following Catalonia and Flanders.
Cameron's European 'own goal': Leaving EU police and justice co-operation
03 October 2012
David Cameron wants to pull the UK out of most EU co-operation on crime and policing by 2014. The move is bad for Britain.
Cameron's choice: Play to the gallery or keep Britain safe
26 September 2012
Britain has a decision to make that has major implications for both its security and its influence within the EU. Should it opt out of most EU co-operation on crime and policing by 2014?
Hollande, the Germans and 'political union'
25 September 2012
François Hollande wants a more equal Franco-German relationship. But tensions over managing the eurozone crisis and reforming EU treaties are straining that relationship.
Outsiders on the inside: Swiss and Norwegian lessons for the UK
24 September 2012
The Norwegian and Swiss association agreements with the EU increasingly frustrate many Norwegians, Swiss and the EU itself. They do not provide an attractive template for the UK.
Will a new German constitution save the euro?
29 August 2012
German politicians from government and opposition want a referendum on a new pro-European constitution. But this does not mean that Berlin is preparing for eurobonds.
Can 'good Italy' triumph over 'bad Italy'?
01 August 2012
The euro may not survive unless Italy's reformers defeat those attached to privilege, monopoly, corruption and clientelism.
Issue 85 - 2012
27 July 2012
- Europe needs a Rooseveltian break with fear, Hugo Brady
- A banking union – it is necessary, but is it likely?, Philip Whyte
- Is the Franco-British defence treaty in trouble?, Tomas Valasek
Europe needs a Rooseveltian break with fear
27 July 2012
The EU has four freedoms – for the movement of goods, services, capital and people. Today, it needs a fifth: the freedom from fear. The euro has become a political doomsday machine, a time-bomb that threatens to destroy the great achievements of European integration: peace, political stability and the creation...
Britain, Europe and the City of London: Can the triangle be managed?
20 July 2012
The City of London's future will be shaped not just by a tougher regulatory environment, but also by uncertainties about Britain's relations with the EU.
What Central Europe thinks of Britain and why
16 July 2012
Britain's plans to repatriate powers back from the EU require unanimous approval from other member-states. But not even the closest allies are prepared to give it.
Britain should not go Swiss
10 July 2012
Some British eurosceptics want the UK to be like Norway and Switzerland: semi-detached from the EU. They should be careful what they wish for.
Needed: A Franco-German concordat
27 June 2012
The euro needs a Franco-German bargain: Germany must swallow eurobonds and a banking union, while France must let the EU have a say on its budget.
Britain must defend the single market
22 June 2012
A Conservative MP argues that the single market will flounder if the UK is marginalised inside the EU – or if the UK leaves altogether.
Germany's own goal: Why Berlin's sense of invulnerability will be its undoing
22 June 2012
Germany’s strategy for dealing with the euro crisis is maximising, not minimising, risks to the country’s economic and political interests.