EU institutions & treaties
Will Hungary's presidency rock the EU?
25 June 2024
The Hungarian presidency will have limited impact on EU policies – but the hit to the Union’s reputation could be significant.
Is the Spitzenkandidat process a waste of time?
03 June 2024
The Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) process has not fulfilled its promise of engaging the average voter. Still, it has helped ‘europeanise’ the European Parliament elections and is worth persisting with.
The European Parliament elections: A sharp right turn?
30 April 2024
Right-wing forces are set to make sizeable gains in the European Parliament elections. That will tilt the Parliament right on many issues and could give these parties momentum nationally.
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.
Ten reflections on Jacques Delors
04 January 2024
Jacques Delors’ impact on history, especially during the ten years that he headed the European Commission, was immense.
The Commission: More power demands more accountability
30 May 2023
As the European Commission becomes more political, it will need to embrace both the Spitzenkandidaten process and reform.
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.
The impact of the war in Ukraine: Annual report 2022
10 February 2023
The CER's annual report starts with an essay on how the war in Ukraine is changing Europe. The report then highlights some of the CER's most important publications and events from 2022.
State of the Union: Seven months into Putin's war
28 September 2022
Ursula von der Leyen has managed to keep the EU together so far. The coming months will test this unity.
State of the Union: The EU, three months into Putin's war
24 May 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shifted priorities and frayed alliances in the EU. It has also created winners and losers in Brussels.
How the world has changed in 25 years: Annual report 2021
07 February 2022
The CER has been in business for about a quarter of a century – we published our first pamphlets in 1996 and opened our London office in 1998.
The EU's future or everything von der Leyen did not say
24 September 2021
To gauge what the EU's next big political fights will be, look at what Ursula Von der Leyen did not say in her annual speech to the European Parliament.
Bulletin issue 138 - June/July 2021
01 June 2021
- Macron's Europe, Charles Grant
- Hurrah for the conference on the future of Europe!, Camino Mortera-Martinez
- Can the EU set a global rulebook for Big Tech?, Zach Meyers
Hurrah for the conference on the future of Europe!
01 June 2021
If done right, the conference on the future of Europe can help bring about meaningful reform in the EU – even if that means changing the treaties.
The EU's troubled leadership: You get what you pay for
25 February 2021
Recent gaffes by Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell, over COVID-19 vaccination roll-out and Russia policy respectively, have irritated member-states.
Trouble for the EU is brewing in coronavirus-hit Italy
02 April 2020
The COVID-19 crisis facing Italy may be new and unprecedented, but for many Italians the European Union’s reaction has been no surprise.
The COVID-19 pandemic: The EU must think and act globally
27 March 2020
European leaders are naturally focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their own continent. But a global crisis demands more than local solutions; the EU should do more beyond its borders.
The EU needs to step up its response to the COVID-19 outbreak
23 March 2020
After initially responding slowly and in a haphazard manner, the EU has taken important steps to counter the coronavirus outbreak.
Can France and Germany steer Europe to success? Annual report 2019
06 February 2020
The CER's annual report features an essay on the state Franco-German friendship. It also describes some of the CER’s achievements in 2019, including the increasingly prominent role played by our Brussels and Berlin offices.
Democracy and the rule of law: Failing partnership?
20 January 2020
Lack of respect for the rule of law is not just a Central European problem. EU institutions must make defending the rule of law in all member-states a top priority.