Research

The EU emissions trading system after the energy price spike

04 April 2022
EU emissions trading needs an upgrade: the EU should tighten the cap on emissions more rapidly, expand to road transport and buildings, and spend higher revenues on subsidising green investment.

Russia's assault on Ukraine and European security

30 March 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will require NATO to greatly strengthen deterrence. Europeans will have to shoulder a larger share of the security burden, acting through both NATO and the EU. 

Europe must stop paying for Russia's war

30 March 2022
Putin wants Europe to pay for gas in roubles, forcing it to deal with Russia’s central bank. Europe should respond by ending Russian hydrocarbon imports sooner than planned.

Can the West stay united on Ukraine – and what will China do?

30 March 2022
The longer the war in Ukraine continues, the greater the risk that Western unity will fracture. Meanwhile the choices that China makes will determine the future shape of geopolitics.
Russia may ditch the dollar – but it needs the euro

Russia may ditch the dollar – but it needs the euro

29 March 2022
Naysayers claim Western financial sanctions will speed Russia and China’s drift away from Western currencies and finance. But the West’s predominance in the global financial system is enduring.
Does the Strategic Compass herald a stronger EU in security and defence?

Does the Strategic Compass herald a stronger EU in security and defence?

25 March 2022
The EU Strategic Compass sets out a realistic vision for EU security policy. It is now up to member-states to live up to their promises. 
The EU must triple down on green investment

The EU must triple down on green investment

Christian Odendahl, John Springford
24 March 2022
Russia’s war on Ukraine forces Europe to make some tough economic choices. Higher climate investment is a no-brainer, however.
High energy prices threaten the EU emissions trading system

High energy prices threaten the EU emissions trading system

23 March 2022
EU member-states should not stop the expansion of emissions trading to keep a lid on energy prices. Instead, they should increase income support for poorer households and incentives for green investment.
Russia's war on Ukraine: There is worse to come (for the West as well)

Russia's war on Ukraine: There is worse to come (for the West as well)

Ian Bond, Elisabetta Cornago, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Luigi Scazzieri
17 March 2022
The EU has reacted robustly to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. But it must now mitigate the economic, social and political consequences, which will hit ordinary citizens and challenge Western cohesion.
The cost of Brexit: December 2021

The cost of Brexit: December 2021

10 March 2022
By December 2021, leaving the single market and customs union had reduced UK goods trade by 14.9 per cent. And new analysis shows that UK exports have taken a larger hit than imports.

Russia-Ukraine: The West needs a sanctions strategy

10 March 2022
After the initial flurry of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, Western leaders now need to take a more strategic approach.
How to make the new emissions trading system work for consumers

How to make the new emissions trading system work for consumers

04 March 2022
Extending the Emissions Trading System to buildings and road transport can cut emissions and help poor households if all revenues are devoted to income support and green investment.
Four questions on how the Russian assault on Ukraine will affect Europe

Four questions on how the Russian assault on Ukraine will affect Europe

Sophia Besch, Ian Bond, Camino Mortera-Martinez, Luigi Scazzieri
01 March 2022
CER experts provide answers on the off-ramp for Putin, Germany’s defence spending, how to deal with refugees, the internal battle over the rule of law and the impact on the EU’s neighbourhood. 
Stronger sanctions on Russia: Essential, but not a strategy

Stronger sanctions on Russia: Essential, but not a strategy

25 February 2022
The West is rightly responding to Putin’s all-out attack on Ukraine’s territorial integrity with sanctions. But they need to be part of a wider strategy to ensure that he cannot win.
Could EU-endorsed 'coalitions of the willing' strengthen EU security policy?

Could EU-endorsed 'coalitions of the willing' strengthen EU security policy?

09 February 2022
The EU could be a more effective security provider if it mandated operations by coalitions of willing member-states, but that requires consensus.

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.

Ditchley conference report: The politics of climate change

02 February 2022
Climate change is as much a political problem as a technological one, and the CER's annual economics conference focused on ways to overcome inertia, denial and myopia.
Why big business may learn to love EU competition policy

Why big business may learn to love EU competition policy

01 February 2022
Big multinationals sometimes criticise the EU’s competition policy, which is more aggressive than America’s. But in the long term, Brussels’ approach could prove more balanced and predictable than Washington’s.
The EU should remove tariffs on environmental goods

The EU should remove tariffs on environmental goods

John Springford, Sam Lowe
27 January 2022
Multilateral negotiations over free trade in environmental goods collapsed in 2014. The EU should try again – and reduce tariffs unilaterally if talks fail.