Research

Securing Europe's medical supply chains against future shocks

Sam Lowe
29 May 2020
European policy-makers should not give in to the temptation to use the COVID-19 pandemic to justify the forced onshoring of medical supply chains. Better options are available.

The recovery fund faces a tricky passage

Christian Odendahl, John Springford
29 May 2020
The Commission's proposed recovery fund is macroeconomically meaningful. The 'frugals' should focus less on negotiating away the transfers to harder-hit countries, and more on how the money is spent.

Trump's COVID-19 response is deepening the transatlantic rift

29 May 2020
Relations between Europe and the US were already in a poor condition before the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s response will make tensions worse.

Three ways COVID-19 will cause economic divergence in Europe

Christian Odendahl, John Springford
21 May 2020
Europe's economies will diverge further as a result of COVID-19, as the economic impact will be larger in Southern Europe. Fiscal transfers would help to restart the EU's 'convergence machine'.

Coronavirus is pushing the EU in new and undesirable directions

15 May 2020
COVID-19 is transforming the EU works in several ways, accelerating trends that were visible before the virus struck. These changes are good news for anti-EU populists.

How to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol

Sam Lowe
14 May 2020
The UK must face up to its responsibilities and work with the EU to ensure goods can move as freely as possible between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Putin hits a bad patch

07 May 2020
Putin may have thought 2020 was going to be an excellent year for him. Instead, he has to deal with the oil price crash and COVID-19.

Gas heats up the eastern Mediterranean

23 April 2020
Disagreements over who gets to exploit gas in the eastern Mediterranean have raised tensions in the region, led to EU sanctions on Turkey, and made resolving the Libyan conflict more difficult. Much is now riding on Ankara’s next moves.

Why the UK should extend the transition period

Sam Lowe
20 April 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic means the UK should request a transition extension as a matter of urgency. To do otherwise would be unnecessarily reckless.

How the EU should co-ordinate an end to the COVID-19 lockdown

14 April 2020
European governments hope that contact tracing apps can allow them to ease lockdowns. But much work must be done at both national and EU level before restrictions can be eased.

COVID-19: Can the EU avoid an epidemic of authoritarianism?

Ian Bond, Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
09 April 2020
Most EU governments have restricted fundamental rights in order to tackle COVID-19. The EU should check that measures are justifiable, proportionate and respect its norms, which is not the case in Hungary.

The EU's new Libya operation is flawed

08 April 2020
The EU’s new Libya operation follows years of criticism that the Union has not done enough to end the conflict.
A proposal for a coronabond: The Pandemic Solidarity Instrument

A proposal for a coronabond: The Pandemic Solidarity Instrument

Christian Odendahl, Sebastian Grund, Lucas Guttenberg
06 April 2020
The economic hit is so severe, and the demands on fiscal policy so high, that the EU needs to share the burden between stronger and weaker countries.
Rome empty March 2020

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.

What are the chances that the Brexit talks break down?

29 March 2020
In the last few weeks, leading Conservative Brexiters have been talking up the possibility of walking away with no deal. Theresa May herself said that “no deal is better than a bad deal.”

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 two economic stages of coronavirus

Christian Odendahl, John Springford
26 March 2020
European policy-makers must offset the huge costs of containing the virus, while keeping debt sustainable in all eurozone member-states. But they also need a plan to stimulate a V-shaped recovery.

Turkey and the EU: Preserving transactional co-operation

26 March 2020
Despite growing tensions with Turkey on many issues, it is in the EU’s interest to renew co-operation on migration with Ankara. The Union should also try to shift the relationship in a less confrontational direction.

Can the EU's defence ambitions survive budget cuts?

Sophia Besch
26 March 2020
The proposed cuts to the EU’s defence budget will not put an end to the EU’s ambitions. But they show that, on defence, the Union is only as effective as member-states allow it to be.