Britain & EU member-states
An open letter to Keir Starmer: Ten suggestions on how to foster better relations with Europe
08 July 2024
In an open letter to Keir Starmer, Charles Grant offers ten suggestions on how the Labour government can improve the UK-EU relationship.
Should the UK pursue dynamic alignment with the EU?
04 July 2024
The EU’s neighbours follow various models of dynamic alignment with its rules. Which model, if any, could suit the UK?
EU-UK relations: Towards a post-election agenda
01 July 2024
Britain’s next government needs a coherent strategy towards the EU, ranging from trade and regulation to energy, foreign policy and defence.
Delivering the goods: An EU trade agenda for the next UK government
28 May 2024
The Labour Party’s red lines will restrict its ambitions for changing the EU-UK relationship, but if it forms a government it should push Brussels for concessions, particularly on trade in goods.
Europe must choose: Multiculturalism or stagnation?
09 May 2024
An increasingly multi-ethnic society would safeguard Europe’s prosperity – or it can opt for nativism, labour shortages and higher taxes.
Living next door to an elephant: Lessons for the UK from EFTA
29 April 2024
After Brexit, the UK finds itself next door to a regional trade hegemon. Britain can draw useful lessons from the experience of the EFTA countries.
Weighed down by gravity: UK trade policy after Brexit
11 March 2024
The post-Brexit vision of 'Global Britain' is slowly replaced by the reality that free trade agreements deliver marginal benefits, particularly for the UK’s service-oriented economy.
A new equilibrium in Northern Ireland: Can it last?
01 March 2024
The agreement between the British government and the Democratic Unionist Party addresses immediate challenges but falls short of resolving Northern Ireland’s Brexit conundrum.
How should Europe handle China?: Annual report 2023
09 February 2024
The CER's annual report starts with an essay on how should Europe handle China. The report then highlights some of the CER's most important publications and events from 2023.
Brexit, four years on: Answers to two trade paradoxes
25 January 2024
Since the UK left the EU in 2020, its goods exports to the EU have not performed any worse than to the rest of the world, and its services exports have grown strongly. How come?
A European strategy for Labour
27 September 2023
Keir Starmer will find it hard to improve the Tory Brexit deal – which most EU leaders like. But if he is willing to offer something in return, they may give him a better deal.
State of the Union: From Putin's war to a trade war?
26 September 2023
If she wants the EU to be greener, fairer, and more resilient, Ursula von der Leyen, or whoever comes next, should stay away from trade spats and support a more ambitious industrial policy instead.
What approach should Labour take to the 2026 TCA review?
06 September 2023
A Labour government will want to reshape relations with the EU. The 2026 review of the trade deal offers only limited scope for change – but that should not constrain Labour’s ambitions.
Can Meloni's balancing act continue?
21 August 2023
Giorgia Meloni has blended Atlanticism and pragmatism towards the EU with right-wing populism on immigration, cultural issues and green policy.
To be influential in the EU, Spain must rebuild its political centre
31 July 2023
Spain’s inconclusive electoral results will diminish Madrid’s influence in Europe. As holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, Spain will be diligent but distracted.
Building UK-EU bridges: Convergent China policies?
10 July 2023
The EU and the UK have almost identical objectives vis-à-vis China, and are pursuing very similar policies. After Brexit, can they still work together closely?
Are the costs of Brexit big or small?
09 May 2023
Critics say my estimate – that the British economy is around 5 per cent smaller due to Brexit – is implausibly large. This insight tests their scepticism against other ways to estimate the cost of Brexit.
Can the European Political Community be a bridge between the UK and the EU?
28 April 2023
The European Political Community (EPC) could promote closer EU-UK co-operation. But the EPC's ability to do so will depend on its future evolution, which only partly hinges on UK-EU relations.
Where is Britain's growth plan?
03 April 2023
The government will have to confront vested interests and raise investment to boost growth. A strategy founded on trade deals with far-off countries and deregulation won’t work.
CER bulletin: Issue 149 - April/May 2023
03 April 2023
- A British strategy for Europe?, Charles Grant
- Where is Britain's growth plan?, John Springford
- The best national security that (no) money can buy?, Ian Bond